WFRP - Plundered Vaults

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Plundered Vaults TM

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Design and Writing: Ben Counter, Graeme Davis,
Brian E. Kirby, Nathan Greavey, and Carl Sargent

Additional Material: Kate Flack and Chris Pramas New Edition Updates: Brian E. Kirby
Development: Chris Pramas Editing: Evan Sass
Graphic Design and Art Direction: Hal Mangold

Cover Art: Karl Kopinsky Interior Art: Tony Ackland, Russ Nicholson, Tony Parker
Cartography: Shawn Brown, Charles Elliot, ‘H’

WFRP Development Manager: Kate Flack Project Manager: Ewan Lamont

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— Introduction —

Welcome to Plundered Vaults, the first adventure anthology for such tests could be made, but aren’t specifically called for. The right
the new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Coming up with balance of actual roleplaying and dice rolling is delicate, and one
adventures is always the GM’s biggest stumbling block, so we every group must settle on for itself. Some groups never roll for
wanted to provide some good adventures for the new rules right social skills, preferring to let roleplaying determine the outcome of
away. Plundered Vaults contains six ready-to-play scenarios. Three every encounter. That’s a fine approach, particularly if your players
of them are updates of classics from the original WFRP-era, while are verbal by nature. Some players aren’t so golden tongued, but
the other three are brand new. All of them pull you right into the they might want to play characters who are. For these folks, it’s
grim world of perilous adventure that is Warhammer. more than appropriate to let their skills do the convincing. This
The old adventures are Graeme Davis’ Rough Night at the Three isn’t to say they shouldn’t attempt to roleplay, but don’t penalize
Feathers (which originally appeared in White Dwarf Magazine characters because their players aren’t great talkers.
#94), Carl Sargent’s Grapes of Wrath (which originally appeared If you plan to run Through the Drakwald from the core book and
in White Dwarf Magazine #98), and the Haunting Horror (which move into Paths of the Damned: Ashes of Middenheim, several of
originally appeared in the Restless Dead adventure anthology). these adventures can be used as a segue. The two that work best
Brian E. Kirby updated all these adventures to the new rules. Mr. are Carrion Call and Grapes of Wrath. Carrion Call can easily be
Kirby also penned For Love or Money, one of the new adventures. slotted in after the climax of Through the Drakwald but before the
The other two are Ben Counter’s Carrion Call and Nathan PCs reach Middenheim. It would surely be no surprise to find a
Greavey’s Sing For Your Supper. These adventures cover a range of traveller slain by Beastmen in the Drakwald! The setting of Grapes
play styles, from investigation to intrigue to horror to combat. of Wrath, Pritzstock, is conveniently near Middenheim already. All
Before you dive in, let me make a few comments. First, we have it takes is a red herring to get the PCs out of the city and you are
tried to keep these adventures fairly generic as far as time and place good to go.
go. All of them can be used in a variety of locales and in just about If you are starting a new campaign, Sing For Your Supper is a good
any era of the Empire’s history. They do not assume, for example, choice. It starts out as a straight-up kidnapping story, but then
that the Storm of Chaos has come to pass. This makes them easy veers right into Warhammer territory. If your players are used to a
to drop into your campaign, whenever it’s set. You should consider more generic style of fantasy RPG, this adventure can show them
the setting of your campaign before running these, however—if how WFRP is quite a different beast. For Love or Money can be
you add an encounter here or there to reinforce your chosen time used the same way, and for similar reasons.
and place, it’ll make the integration of these adventures into your Enough talk! Time to play. We hope you enjoy Plundered Vaults.
game that much easier. Stay tuned for more adventure in Paths of the Damned: Ashes of
You should also consider how you want to handle social skills Middenheim!
when running these adventures. Throughout, you’ll find calls for
Charm and Gossip Tests. You’ll also see many other spots where Chris Pramas
December 31, 2004

— Table of Contents —

Credits................................................ 1 Rough Night at the Three Feathers........... 49
Introduction......................................... 2
The Grapes of Wrath.............................. 3 Events.................................................................51
Concluding the Adventure....................................... 56
Beginning the Adventure........................................... 3 Non-Player Characters............................................ 56
The Village of Pritzstock........................................ 4
Running the Adventure........................................... 13 Carrion Call....................................... 60
The Wizard in the Woods.......................................15
The Adventurers’ Lair.............................................17 Background......................................................... 60
Concluding the Adventure....................................... 19 The Story Unfolds.................................................61
Aftermath........................................................... 72
For Love or Money............................... 21 Denizens of Schloss Vonreuter...................................73

Synopsis. .............................................................21 Sing For Your Supper............................76
Mittleresdorf....................................................... 22
Part One: The Merchant’s Daughter......................... 24 Getting Started..................................................... 77
Part Two: Into the Woods..................................... 30 Red Herrings....................................................... 78
Part Three: The Beast Revealed................................34 The Plot Begins.....................................................81
Aftermath...........................................................37 The Nosey Neighbour............................................ 82
Hot on the Trail....................................................83
The Haunting Horror............................ 38 The Plot Thickens.................................................85
The Witness........................................................ 86
Introduction......................................................... 38 Stark’s Shop......................................................... 88
The Locations.......................................................39 Showdown........................................................... 89
Continuing the Adventure....................................... 48 Conclusion.......................................................... 91
Dramatis Personae................................................. 92

2

The Grapes of Wrath

• The Grapes of Wrath •

The Grapes of Wrath is a scenario for characters (ideally 4-6) village could be relocated nearly anywhere in the Empire that is
who should be just beginning their second careers. convenient for your campaign). More important than location is
The adventure is set in the vine-growing village of Pritzstock, the time of year, since events of this adventure take place during
which is southwest of the city of Middenheim (though the the annual grape-harvest at Pritzstock (sometime during the
month of Erntezeit or “Harvest-Tide”).

— Beginning the Adventure —

Map 1 on page 5 shows the layout of the villages southwest The Crash
of Middenheim. At the start of the adventure, the PCs are
assumed to be travelling by coach towards Middenheim along the The journey is without incident until the coach has just crossed the
Altdorf-Middenheim road. The woods through which the road junction with the Grubentreich road, a few hours before sunset.
runs are known to harbour evil and chaotic creatures (particularly From out of the trees ahead and travelling about 15 feet above the
after the Storm of Chaos), so coaches travel quickly without ground, an evil-looking skull with glowing eyes comes hurtling
stopping. towards the coach. Shouting a prayer to Sigmar, the coachman
The coach That the PCs are travelling in has three other drops the reins to cover his eyes, while the horses scream and rear
passengers: Elise and Bertha Jung, and their bodyguard, Gunder. up in terror. As they bolt wildly to avoid the flying skull, the horses
Both women are young (19 and 17 respectively), blue-eyed careen the coach against the trunk of a massive oak, and the whole
blondes of good breeding, being daughters of a prosperous Altdorf thing overturns, smashing both right-hand wheels in the process.
wool merchant.
Gunder is a giant of a man, but a bit dim. His brow is thick and Anyone on the roof of the coach must make a Fear Test in order
sloping and his massive jaws seem to jut further forward than to be able to do anything other than quiver with fright. A jump
his twisted and flattened nose. He is clad in a leather jerkin and from the coach should be treated as a distance of 6 yards. Hanging
armed with a huge woodcutter’s axe. The girls are travelling to onto the coach will require a Strength Test—success results in the
Middenheim to visit a cousin. They are well-mannered and are character taking a Damage 3 hit that ignores armour, while failure
used to being treated politely (especially when Gunder is in means that the character falls 4 yards and is flung clear. See WFRP,
attendance). page 138, for details on jumping and falling.

3

The Grapes of Wrath

Having had no real warning, all those within the coach must make Mathilde and Eduard Jung—aunt and uncle to the girls—run
a Challenging (–10%) Agility Test to avoid taking a Damage 3 the Black Sheep tavern, and will be pleased with the PCs for
hit that ignores armour. As the passengers begin to disentangle having rescued their nieces. As a token of gratitude, the party will
themselves, one of them (chosen at random) sees the skull peering be allowed free accommodations, food, and drink for the night.
into the coach. After a couple of seconds the skull flies off, but any (Unfortunately, the inn’s two guest rooms have already been taken,
character not still inside the wreck will see it heading west over the but the main tavern is clean and warm.)
trees. For a further description of the skull, consult the Bestiary at If the PCs don’t mention the flying skull, one of the girls will. This
the end of this adventure. may happen while the bar is still full of locals, or last thing at night,
The coach is beyond repair; only two wheels remain intact, and both as Eduard locks up the tavern. Talking with the locals brings nothing
axles are smashed. Hedric the coachman is lying in the road battered more than sceptical comments about “bumps on the head” obtained
and bruised, but otherwise unhurt. Gunder, alas, suffered fatal during the crash. Eduard, however, is not so dismissive. The
injuries during the crash, when a trunk containing Elise’s ball gowns description of the crash backs up the rumour he heard two days ago
fell from the luggage rack and broke his neck. Two horses have run from Werner Geizhals, a wine merchant returning from the nearby
off, a third has a badly fractured leg, and the other stands shivering village of Pritzstock (see Maps 1 and 3a).
nearby. The two girls are very upset but will be calmed by reassuring According to Geizhals, (who is now in Middenheim), the villagers
words. They will not be calmed by Hedric’s wide-eyed babble about gave him the impression that the village was cursed, that the
the “swooping, red-eyed monster from the farthest frozen north!” corpses of the dead had risen from the ground and were prowling
around the outskirts of the village, and, more specifically, that
A Choice of Actions “phantom, flying skulls were haunting the woods.” Jung will broach
the subject when the tavern is empty. It has occurred to him
The party has a number of options available. They could stay put, that the skulls ought to be dealt with before they start to bother
but this would mean a night in the forest. Hedric will point out Grubentreich, and who better to deal with them than the recently
that no other coach is due today, and in any case, would not stop arrived adventurers? If the PCs look like they do not intend to
for fear they were highwaymen. The group could head for the investigate, Jung will elaborate on the rumour, saying that the
nearest coaching inn, The Mutant’s Head, but since it is over 20 skulls are thought to be guarding some long-lost treasure hoard. (If
miles away, it could not be reached before nightfall (some 3 hours Bertha has shown signs of liking one of the adventurers, Eduard
away). The third choice, and the one favoured by Elise and Bertha, will make the story even more attractive, hoping to make the PCs
would be to set off towards the village of Grubentreich. The girls leave before any romance can develop!)
have relatives there who would put the PCs up for the night As chance would have it, three of the inn’s guests will be travelling
and lend transport for their return journey to a coaching inn. through Pritzstock the following day; namely, the farmer Hans
Furthermore, the girls are sure the adventurers will be rewarded for Krug with handymen Pieter Klammerer and Albrecht Krupp.
their safe escort. These three retired early, but are returning to Leichlinberg (via
It is about 10 miles to Grubentreich, and, walking at the girls’ pace Pritzstock—see Map 1) tomorrow. The PCs could doubtless get a
of 3 mph, could be reached soon after dark. Given the girls’ refusal lift to the village on Krug’s carts if they wished.
to even consider any other plan, this is the best course of action. The PCs need to rise early to ask Hans Krug for a lift (so woe
Hedric, a brave fellow who takes his responsibilities seriously, betide those who over-indulged on Eduard’s hospitality). The
undertakes to ride the one remaining horse to the coaching inn farmer agrees willingly enough, but asks for 1 shilling each as
and inform the Roadwardens. payment. He can be bargained down to 6 pennies each, but being
The PCs can reach Grubentreich by the end of the day if they poor he tries to make money whenever he can. If your players
make a determined march, although Bertha may slow them down really need encouraging to go investigate, Eduard will pay the fare.
a little towards nightfall. Any good-looking male PC who carries They need have no further concern about Elise and Bertha; Eduard
Bertha over the last half-mile or so will win her sincere gratitude. (A assures them that he will personally escort them to Middenheim
successful Fellowship Test will also win a friendly kiss on the cheek!) on the next coach.
The 15-mile journey to Pritzstock takes about 3 hours on Krug’s
Grubentreich cart. The only other way that the characters could make the trip is
on foot, as there are no horses available for hire or sale. The farmer
The village itself comprises some 88 simple country folk, who and his assistants know nothing of events at Pritzstock, having just
make a moderate living from agriculture and livestock. No map returned from a long selling trip to Middenheim.
is provided as the layout of the place is unimportant to the
adventure.

— The Village of Pritzstock —

Pritzstock is a small but wealthy village of 48 souls (and their around the northwest area of the village, since this is where people
children). Map 2 details the local area and Map 3 shows the are buried and the worms grow fat as a result.
village proper. In addition to a farmhouse, each household has Surrounding the village are vineyards grown on man-made terraces
a large fermenting shed where casks of wine are stored and the that have been cleared from the forest; the wine produced provides
grapes are pressed. Bottles of the better vintages are usually kept in the sole source of income for the inhabitants. Pritzstock Reisling is
cellars beneath the farmhouses. a light delicate wine that is gaining in popularity throughout the
Livestock is limited to a few pigs, goats, and hens. The latter are Western Empire. In recent years harvests have been particularly
allowed to wander freely and spend a lot of their time scratching good and the village has prospered as a result: buildings and carts

4

The Grapes of Wrath

Grapes of
Wrath

maps 1 and 2

Areas A and B on Map 2 are
detailed in the main text.

5

The Grapes of Wrath

are in a good state of repair, animals are sturdy, and the people are with no further incidents to fuel speculation, the name of Stefan
well fed. Surprisingly (to some) the village does not have an inn, Maranaeur was forgotten, or at least that’s what Henri-Philippe
and socialising takes the form of frequent “wine-tastings” at one hoped and thought. And so things might have been, save for one
house or another; this is a very closely knit community. By far the person: Stefan’s twin brother, Dieter.
most popular sessions take place at the home of Henri-Phillippe At the time of Stefan’s imprisonment, Dieter Maranaeur was
Rocheteau, the Burgomeister, or Mayor, of Pritzstock. nearing the end of a successful wizard’s apprenticeship at
The village is at its busiest during the grape harvest, and the timing Middenheim. Yet, as the days of Stefan’s ordeal passed, his brother
of this is crucial to the village’s continued prosperity. The grapes began to suffer in much the same way. Linked by kinship, Dieter
must be picked within a 7-day period, if the wine is to be at its at first suffered sleepless nights but within a week showed signs of a
best. Judging just when to start requires years of experience, and severe wasting disease. Soon after, the apprentice wizard collapsed
the adventurers arrive just two days before the harvest of this year’s into delirium, and as his condition worsened the physicians feared
crop must begin if the wine is not to be ruined. Migrant workers for his life. Suddenly (i.e., at the moment of Stefan’s death), the
from the surrounding areas have yet to arrive but some wine month-long illness vanished and Dieter began to recover. Only
merchants have already visited. The grapes have been assessed, and then was he told of his brother’s disappearance while on a business
prospects look good—provided the harvest starts on time. trip to Pritzstock.
In the three years that have passed, Dieter has learned of his late
Past and Present brother’s affair with Elisabet (from letters he found at Stefan’s
Altdorf residence) and the invitation from Henri-Philippe.
The origins of the current troubles lie 3 years in the past. A young Discussing these matters, along with the mysterious illness, with
Altdorf wine merchant, Stefan Maranaeur, began an affair with his superiors, Dieter has finally managed to piece together the
Henri-Phillippe’s wife, Elisabet. Unfortunately, Henri-Phillippe nature of his brother’s demise.
learned of their relationship, having chanced upon a love letter Dieter, now a master wizard of the Bright Order, has come to
(from Stefan) to his wife. If he had been able to act immediately the village consumed by the idea of revenge. Driven by his own
things would have come to a head, as Henri-Phillippe confronted (slightly irrational) beliefs, Dieter is also affected by the spirit of
his wife in a typical Bretonnian rage. As it was, Elisabet was away his dead brother; Stefan Maranaeur now exerts a hateful force from
in Altdorf, presumably with her lover, giving Henri-Phillippe’s beyond the grave and Dieter is being influenced to ruin Pritzstock
burning rage time to turn to ice and fill his thoughts with revenge. and kill Rocheteau.
A month later, Henri-Phillippe sent his wife to Altdorf with The wizard’s first move was to scout the local country and find
money to purchase new clothes. Elisabet readily agreed, seeing a a safe base for himself and his hired bodyguard, Kurt Schultz.
further opportunity to meet her lover. But Henri-Phillippe had This is when he got lucky, after a fashion. In a cave well-hidden
other plans for Stefan, and had simultaneously invited him to by vegetation they discovered numerous human and humanoid
Pritzstock, without Elisabet’s knowledge, ostensibly to taste a new skulls, grim remnants of an ancient battle. Dieter at once sensed
wine. Stefan duly arrived, and a day spent discussing business that they were magical in some way. After experimentation, Dieter
ended with one of Henri-Philippe’s famous wine tastings, to which learned that they could be controlled, to some extent at least.
the rest of the village was also invited. Since then he has been unleashing them to attack the village of
As part of the evening’s conversation Stefan learned that Elisabet Pritzstock; they are a perfect way of terrifying the villagers and
had gone to Altdorf. Cursing his luck, Stefan moderated his forcing them to abandon the place. What Dieter doesn’t know is
drinking in anticipation of an early start, commenting that he that the magical qualities of the skulls are due to trace elements
“must return next morning and attend to important business.” That of warpstone present in the cave. What neither Dieter nor the
night, however, Henri-Phillippe attacked Stefan as he slept, residents of the village know is that there is already a group of
clubbing him senseless. Rocheteau dragged the body down to the adventurers investigating the disturbance—a group that is likely to
cellar where a special alcove had been prepared. Having chained think that the PCs are in league with the wizard!
Stefan to the wall, Henri-Philippe waited until the young wine The remainder of the adventure is set out as follows. After setting
merchant recovered. With care and precision Henri-Philippe then the initial scene as the PCs arrive in the village, there is a section on
began to seal the alcove with stone and mortar, oblivious to the NPCs in Pritzstock: what they do, who they are, what they know
desperate pleas from Stefan. and suggestions on how they will respond to various PC actions
Finally the work was completed, leaving Henri-Philippe satisfied. He and conversation. This is followed by descriptions of Dieter, Kurt,
had left a barrel of wine within reach to ease Stefan’s thirst, planning and their cave; details of the other adventurers’ camp are also given.
that Stefan would experience a slow death from starvation. All that An important aspect to the adventure concerns time: Dieter will
remained was to dispose of Stefan’s horse. With the village still effectively win if the grape harvest is prevented. The atmosphere in
sleeping off the effects of the wine, Henri-Philippe had no trouble the village will become increasingly desperate as the days pass.
slipping out unnoticed. Scattering Stefan’s belongings by the road he
let the horse loose and returned to Pritzstock. Arriving in Pritzstock
Three days later, Stefan’s saddle and pack were spotted. Everyone
had assumed he had left early without waiting to say farewell. The rough track from Grubentreich emerges from the forest to
Despite a search organised by the Mayor of Pritzstock, his body reveal a small valley, intensively cultivated with acre upon acre
was never found. of healthy-looking vines. If the party is travelling with Hans
For a while the disappearance, and presumed death, of the young Krug they will hear a grunt of surprise. If they enquire further
wine merchant caused much talk and anxiety in the area. However, the farmer will state his curiosity that nobody is working the

6

The Grapes of Wrath

Key Household

1 Aschaffenberg
2 Baldurich
3* Bleurer
4* Fleiss
5 Guderain
6* Kallman
7* Klop
8* Rueter
9 Rocheteau
10 Semmelweiss
11 Surhardt
12* Uderlast
w Well Location

* Indicates a tenant farmer of Rocheteau

Numbers 1a, 1b, 2, 3 and 4
on Map 3a are detailed in the
main text.

Grapes of
Wrath

maps 3, 3a and 4

Areas A, B, C, D and E on
Map 4 are all detailed in the
main text.

7

The Grapes of Wrath

vineyards. The GM should assume that the PCs arrive on Day 0; in Sighting 3), was missing. A search of the village has failed to
events are timed accordingly. find him and this has unnerved the villagers further. (Actually,
Arriving in the village proper (across a well-maintained but rather a very scared Sigismund left secretly before dawn. He had no
inadequate ditch), the PCs will be struck by both its prosperity relatives in the village and decided to pack his bags and run.) With
and quietness. Pritzstock’s location served to protect it from the the grape harvest due to begin in 2 days time, the villagers are
Storm of Chaos. Life largely continued as normal here while now worried about their livelihood: they are frightened to go into
thousands died in nearby Middenheim. The village has seen a few the fields, and migrant workers are sure to hear of events and stay
army patrols and had some food requisitioned, but has remained away.
largely untouched. Furthermore, a couple of houses have crude All the above is common knowledge, but the PCs are likely to
planks nailed across the windows, and large sprays of flowers on obtain a more coherent version from Henri-Philippe. Speculation
the front doors. A successful Challenging (–10%) Common in the village is rife and it will be recalled how a young wine
Knowledge (the Empire) Skill Test will reveal they are “nanny’s merchant disappeared a few years ago. In addition, there are
fingers” generally considered to ward off evil spirits. The doors of various rumours/explanations of recent events:
these houses are also inscribed with meaningless symbols, but it • The graves of dead warriors from an ancient battle have
requires a successful Secret Signs (Ranger) Skill Test to appreciate
that they are indeed meaningless. been disturbed by clearing the forest. Local rumour, based
Travelling further with Krug or general investigation will reveal on truth, has it that a Chaos hoard from the Drakwald
that all the villagers are attending a meeting outside the house of Forest was slain over to the southwest. Perhaps some were
Henri-Phillippe. The scene is quite confusing, with many people also slain near Pritzstock?
speaking and shouting at once. Things will quiet down when • The skulls have been sent as a punishment from the gods
strangers are spotted, and at this stage the villagers will be wary of for not making proper sacrifice in respect of the recent
newcomers and act accordingly. excellent harvests.
Taking advantage of the lull, Henri-Philippe will speak. “Look, • Henri-Phillippe is somehow involved in order to buy land
there’s no point arguing until we’ve all calmed down and can discuss cheap when all the villagers have left or been killed. Who
things rationally. And there’s no sense blaming people without cause.” else has the capital to buy land?
At this there is a general murmur of dissent, but Henri-Phillippe The last rumour is the blackest and will only be spoken if things
continues. “Everyone go home and we’ll meet again in a couple of are getting very bad (and Henri-Phillippe isn’t around).
hours.” This is met with broad approval and the villagers begin to The villagers are also angry that the militia has not done anything
disperse. If the PCs arrived with Krug, the farmer and assistants to stop the skulls and this has created some bad feeling between
will drop them off and continue on their way (but not before people. Just what the militia (four farmers and a warrior) are
visiting the local store to find out what’s going on). supposed to do nobody says, but that doesn’t stop them from
Once the meeting is concluded, Henri-Phillippe will be free to complaining.
greet the party, and reference should be made to his description in
the NPC listing. The Inhabitants

Recent Events Note: Many of the villagers have the skill Trade (Vintner).
This is similar to the Trade (Brewing) skill, but applies only to
A little over a month ago a child, Seel Baldurich, came running wines, including knowledge of vine growing and other aspects of
into the village having seen “a ghost” in the woods (see Sighting winemaking.
1 on Map 3a, and Seel’s entry in the NPC listing). Seel is well
known in the village for his various tall tales and this one was Henri-Phillippe Rocheteau
put down to imagination. However, a few weeks later, Isolde
Guderian was out collecting fruit when she noticed a skull sitting Henri-Philippe is a large, stoutly built 42-year-old man, with an
on a branch. The skull did not move but when she returned with olive complexion and shoulder-length black hair. A decade of good
a couple of militiamen the skull had gone (see Sighting 2). The living has made him slightly overweight but he still enjoys robust
villagers did not take her seriously. However, three days ago two health.
farm workers, Sigismund Halsbret and Knud Gropenfrotteur, both Originally a wine merchant from Breton, Henri-Phillippe visited
claimed to have seen a “glowing skull” floating in the woods while the area on business and recognised the excellent potential of soil
out working (see Sighting 3). This was taken seriously, but a full- and climate for cultivating a Bretonnian grape. With borrowed
scale search by the militia failed to reveal any clues. money Henri-Philippe purchased a substantial amount of land
Finally, on the morning of the PCs’ arrival, Erietta Surhardt was from the locals (at a fair price) and settled in the area 14 years ago.
attacked, again while working the vines. Three other workers heard These locals now work the land as tenant farmers. The new vine
her scream and rushed over to where Erietta was last seen. They soon got established and, having paid off the initial loan, Henri-
discovered her unconscious and bleeding, but worse still, a skull Phillippe has enjoyed increasing profits ever since.
was resting on her body (see Sighting 4). The skull took to the air, He married Elisabet, a local girl, two years after arriving, being
but instead of attacking flew off into the forest. Erietta was carried attracted by her good looks and innocent nature. However, since
back and now lies in the Rocheteau house, attended by Elisabet. learning of the affair with Stefan Maranaeur he has been very bitter
An already frightened village had gathered to “do something” towards her, and now treats her as a servant rather than a wife. He
when it was noted that Sigismund Halsbret (one of the witnesses also blames Elisabet for not bearing any children; a fact noticed

8

The Grapes of Wrath

by the rest of the village, who believe this to be the reason for the Stefan somehow managed to escape. The GM may wish to have
marriage’s failure. Henri-Philippe break down and confess at this point, perhaps
Henri-Phillippe is very much the typical Bretonnian, given to running into the cellar in temporary madness to check on the
exuberance and “theatrical” displays of emotion. He has a lot to “cell.” Alternatively, Henri-Philippe might be overcome with anger
lose if the harvest does not go ahead on time and will welcome the that his enemy still lives and attack Dieter immediately, saying
PCs as potential rescuers. He will therefore offer 750 gc if the party something like, “You! I don’t know how you did it but you’re not
deals with the skulls before the harvest begins. For each harvest going to escape death a second time.”
day lost the money on offer will fall by 100 gc. He believes that the However, if confronted with the evidence of his crime (i.e., a body in
skulls have indeed come from some disturbed battlefield; perhaps the cellar) Rocheteau will attempt to bluff, bribe, or fight his way out.
all that’s needed is to seal up some tomb entrance to stop the skulls
getting out. During their period of hire PCs may sleep in the Henri-Philippe Rocheteau, Mayor of Pritzstock
fermenting shed and will receive free food and drink.
If you are using this scenario as part of a campaign you may wish Career: Merchant (ex-Tradesman)
to have Rocheteau offering a percentage profit from the harvest Race: Human
as payment. A good harvest will net Henri-Phillippe 5,000 gc in
one year’s time, rising by 1000 gc for each extra year the wine is Main Profile
matured, (full maturity being reached in five years). Rocheteau will
open negotiation at 15% but may be bargained to 20%. The party WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
must state how many years they wish to wait and individuals must
return at the appropriate harvest-time to collect their share of the 36% 32% 30% 40% 44% 46% 35% 45%
agreed sum. For each harvest day lost, Rocheteau’s profit falls by
10%. Secondary Profile

The Cellar A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

Rocheteau’s house is not mapped, but searching the cellar will 1 12 3 4 4 0 5 0
reveal fairly recent brickwork behind one of the large wine barrels
(there is only 1’ of space between wall and barrel). Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia, the Empire),
If asked about this, Rocheteau (who may be wondering what Drive, Evaluate +10%, Gossip, Haggle +10%, Read/Write,
people were doing rooting in the cellar since the only entrance Secret Language (Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Breton,
is via the kitchen) will state that the alcove was sealed to combat Reikspiel), Trade (Merchant +10%, Vintner)
damp. Dwarfs or those who make a successful Trade (Mining)
Skill Test will notice that the brickwork is less than 5 years old Talents: Dealmaker, Savvy, Super Numerate
and that there is no sign of damp anywhere in the cellar (which, Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)
Rocheteau will note, is proof that it was a sound idea). Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0
Getting into the sealed alcove is difficult. Lack of space prevents Weapons: Dagger, Hand Weapon (Sword; usually kept at home)
the use of a sledgehammer. If the wall is to be knocked down then Trappings: Purse with 10 gc
the large (heavy) wine barrel must first be moved or smashed. If
access to the alcove is gained, a desiccated body can be seen, one
hand chained to the wall. A wine barrel and ladle are next to the
body. If the body is searched a letter can be found. Part of the
letter has been eaten by mould; the remaining text is as follows:

My Dearest Stefan

How much I have missed you. How much longer
can we keep up the pretence? One day we will surely be
uncovered. I hardly dare see you when you visit for
fear that the look in my eyes will reveal the love in my
heart. Can you not see the way I tremble when our hands
meet in greeting, do my eyes not follow you when-

The letter, naturally enough, is from Elisabet Rocheteau.

Reaction to Events

If, during the course of the adventure, Henri-Phillippe comes face
to-face with Dieter Maranaeur, he will turn pale, as if seeing a
ghost. He had no idea that his victim had a twin and will assume

9

The Grapes of Wrath

Elisabet Rocheteau Isolde Guderian. At all times Parzival displays the classic symptoms of
the noble born: he is rich, vain, arrogant, and tediously chauvinistic.
Elisabet is 33 years old and of slender build, with plaited Parzival views the skull attacks as a gift from the gods, allowing
blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She is a quiet countrywoman him to show his worth at last. Unfortunately, the skulls have not
who says little when her husband is around. Her parents, now played fair and he has not even seen one, let alone fought one. He
dead, persuaded her to marry Rocheteau, and for a while the is more concerned with gaining glory and will therefore greet any
marriage worked, despite the fact she was always overawed by plan to go skull bashing with enthusiasm. However, as he is well
Henri-Philippe’s extravagant personality. Over the last few years aware that the militia is being blamed for not doing enough, he
though, her husband has become increasingly domineering. Not will co-operate with any plan that looks like it will yield results
surprisingly, she has become unhappy as a result. In part, she (providing he has a high-profile part in it). Despite his annoying
blames herself for not bearing any children and tries to make up personality, the PCs would do well to get him on their side.
for it by behaving as a dutiful wife. The militia under his command consists of Josef Bleuler, Manfred
The disappearance of Stefan affected her deeply, her grief made Fleiss, Hans-Friedrich Kallman, and Gunter Semmelweiss.
worse by having to be kept hidden. She still remembers their affair
and often daydreams that her lover will return one day and make Parzival Tristan Aschaffenberg, Militia Leader
her happy again. She still keeps the few letters that he secretly gave
her hidden in a hatbox in the bedroom. Career: Sergeant (ex-Squire)
Race: Human

Reaction to Events Main Profile

Elisabet knew that Stefan had a twin brother, but her reaction WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
on seeing Dieter will be that her wish has come true. She still has
enough spirit to try and kill Henri-Philippe if she learns the truth 44% 34% 40% 38% 45% 32% 27% 36%
about Stefan’s death. Otherwise she will do her utmost to get him
executed for murder. Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

Elisabet Rocheteau, Spurned Wife 2 13 4 3 4 0 1 0

Career: Servant Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Animal Care,
Race: Human Animal Training, Charm, Command, Common Knowledge
(the Empire), Dodge Blow, Gossip, Ride, Speak (Reikspeil
Main Profile +10%)

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Talents: Etiquette, Specialist Weapon Group (Cavalry), Strike
Mighty Blow, Very Resilient, Warrior Born
29% 29% 30% 34% 38% 44% 37% 37%
Armour: Medium Armour (Helmet, Mail Coat, Full Leather
Secondary Profile Armour)

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Armour Points: Head 3, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 3
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword) and Shield
1 10 3 3 4 0 2 0 Trappings: Noble’s garb, jewellery worth 40 gc, light warhorse

Skills: Blather, Common Knowledge (the Empire), Dodge Blow, (Friedrich)
Evaluate, Gossip, Perception, Read/Write, Search, Speak
(Reikspiel), Trade (Cook) Isolde Guderian

Talents: Acute Hearing, Etiquette, Excellent Vision, Lightning Isolde is a ravishingly beautiful 20 year old with black hair, green
Reflexes, Strong-minded eyes, and a perfectly proportioned figure. She is well aware of the
effect her presence has on the men-folk but hides this knowledge
Armour: None under an air of innocence. She openly wears a small gold brooch
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0 that was a gift from Parzival.
Weapons: Dagger Any human or elven male adventurer with a Fellowship of 40%+
Trappings: Purse with 2 gc, 15 s, 13 p will get her serious interest since she is seeking a husband to take
her away from Pritzstock, but she will flirt with male adventurers
Parzival Tristan Aschaffenberg in general. She does this in part to see the reaction of Parzival, her
current “boyfriend.” He has long boasted of his martial prowess,
Aschaffenberg is a good-looking 22-year-old male: 6’ 2” tall, blue and she would like to put it to the test.
eyes and pearly white teeth. Parzival is the son of an Altdorf noble For his part, Parzival will challenge to a duel any male getting
(leading to the false village opinion that he is a bastard son of the too friendly with his woman. Unless taunted, Parzival will not
Emperor), and is half way through a two-year stay with the militia engage in a duel to the death. Things could get very bad for the
here (of which he is in charge). adventurers if Parzival is killed in such a manner; Rocheteau will
Parzival really wants to be a knight but his father, a friend of dispatch news to Altdorf at once and the GM should follow this
Rocheteau, insisted he get some experience of “adventuring” first and up as he thinks fit. In any case, Isolde will praise Parzival if he wins
sent him to Pritzstock to organise the militia. His father believes this (and discontinue flirting), and comfort him if he loses. After all, he
would be an easy introduction to adventuring. Parzival has spent much might be an arrogant bore, but he is a noble.
of his time training the militia (all 4 members) in advanced marches
and drills. The rest of the time has been spent courting the local beauty,

10

The Grapes of Wrath

Isolde’s encounter with a skull is Sighting 2 on Map 3a. Her only
other information is that it appeared to be the skull of an animal,
perhaps a badger or something similar (in fact, Isolde saw a Skaven
skull). She is not sure, but if asked, she will say that the eyes of
the skull were glowing dimly. If taken back to the area she will be
unable to locate the specific tree. Searching the area will not reveal
anything of interest.]

Isolde Guderian, Local Beauty

Career: Peasant
Race: Human

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

29% 29% 31% 35% 38% 34% 27% 41%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

1 10 3 3 4 0 0 0

Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (the Empire), Concealment,
Drive, Gossip, Outdoor Survival, Performer (Dancer), Row,
Silent Move, Speak (Reikspiel), Swim, Trade (Cook)

Talents: Ambidextrous, Flee!, Rover, Savvy
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Dagger
Trappings: Jewellery worth 100 gc, purse with 6 gc, 11 s, 27 p

Wuder Lechart brain corrupted, Wuder is immune to the effects of Fear and no
longer feels any pain. All these attributes will be lost permanently
Wuder appears as a grubby, drunken village idiot. In the best if Wuder is separated from his bit of warpstone for more than a
tradition of village idiots, he sits on fences sucking straws and winking day, becoming in all respects a normal idiot. He cannot be cured
knowingly at passers by. The young Wuder arrived in Pritzstock as a of his insanity by any standard means.
migrant worker 10 years ago, and stayed when the harvest was over. If Wuder loses his “lucky charm” (and he won’t give it to anyone
He began to act strangely 3 years later and is now completely insane. without a struggle), he will get very upset. Soon afterwards he will
Luckily, the villagers took pity on him and feed him scraps. set off back to the cave to obtain another piece. Being so attuned
Wuder wanders freely around the whole area of Pritzstock, to Chaos, he will have no trouble locating it; curious PCs may
roaming deep into the forest when the mood takes him. He will learn something to their advantage. However, if he does get a new
talk to anyone who gives him food, and loyally follow anyone who piece of warpstone, he will change in new and different ways.
gives him something shiny (like a silver shilling). Wuder’s speech is
almost incomprehensible. For a start he no longer has any teeth, he Wuder Lechart, Village Idiot
is often drunk and/or delirious, but more importantly, he speaks a
mixture of Reikspiel and Dark Tongue! PCs who know the Dark Race: Human
Tongue language will recognise it on a successful Perception Skill
Test; a successful test by other PCs will simply reveal that Wuder is Main Profile
speaking a mixture of several languages.
As a young man Wuder was interested in the rumours concerning WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
a battle site in the area. He spent hours searching the forest and by
chance came across the cave containing the warpstone (and skulls). 11% 9% 21% 24% 14% 5% 2% 11%
Wuder began to dig where the skulls lay, hoping to find some
treasure. All he found was a bit of rock and would have dug deeper Secondary Profile
had not one of the skulls moved! He fled clutching the rock, which
was kept as a lucky charm. He now uses it in place of his teeth to A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
help chew tough bits of food.
Warpstone does not make for a lucky charm and Wuder’s brain 1 22 2 2 2 0 11 0
began to suffer as a result. He lost many of his skills, while at
the same his speech began to include elements of Dark Tongue. Skills- Blather, Consume Alcohol, Silent Move, Speak (Dark
However, Wuder’s body benefited from the Chaos source, getting Tongue, Reikspiel)
increasingly tough and resilient as the years have passed. With his
Talents: Fearless, Night Vision, Resistance to Disease, Resistance
to Poison, Sixth Sense

Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: None
Insanities: The Glorious Corruption
Trappings: Bottle of alcohol, bowl, piece of warpstone, rags

11

The Grapes of Wrath

Note: Wuder will permanently lose 8 Wounds and the following and time again” not to play so far from the village, he lied about its
skills and talents if separated from his “Lucky Charm” position, claiming that he saw it at Location lb.
for more than 24 hours: Fearless, Resistance to Disease, Under close questioning, the PCs may make a Challenging
Resistance to Poison, and Speak Language (Dark Tongue). (–10%) Perception Skill Test to realize that Seel may not be
telling them the entire truth. If challenged, Seel will admit to the
Other Villagers deception. If Seel takes the party to Area lb more than once, PCs
should be allowed a Navigate Skill Test to notice that the location
Map 3 lists all the households in Pritzstock, and any villagers not is different (Seel is only seven).
listed above have the following typical profile: Seel saw a skull heading away from him, that is all. However,
his imagination has elaborated this quite a bit, “breathing fire,”
Typical Villager “howling,” “covered in horns and spikes,” and so on. Since the
young lad half believes this by now, let the PCs determine the
Career: Peasant truth of the matter.
Race: Human Not long after his encounter, Seel wrote a letter to his uncle Otto
Baldurich, a journeyman wizard of the Light Order studying in
Main Profile nearby Middenheim. Seel described the skull to his uncle in the
same exaggerated language he uses with the adventurers and begged
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Otto to “help save the town.” As he never received a response, Seel
promptly forgot about the matter. He has no idea that his uncle
29% 27% 32% 31% 32% 31% 28% 33% Otto—who has a soft spot for his nephew and was already seeking
to strike out on his own—took the letter quite seriously and is now
Secondary Profile encamped with his compatriots in the woods outside town.

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Sigismund Halsbret

1 10 3 3 4 0 0 0 One of the witnesses to Sighting 3, Sigismund has since decided
to pack up and go. He worked at the Reuter household and
Skills: Animal Care, Animal Training, Charm Animal, Common inspection of his room (a corner of the hayloft), will reveal that
Knowledge (the Empire), Concealment, Drive, Gamble, all his clothes and few belongings have also gone. His employers
Gossip, Set Trap, Scale Sheer Surface, Speak (Reikspiel), considered him a lazy worker and are not too distressed about his
Trade (Vintner) disappearance.

Talents: Flee!, Hardy, Resistance to Disease, Very Resilient
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Dagger
Trappings: Pouch with 1d10 s, 2d10 p

Typical Militiamen Knud Gropenfrotteur

Career: Militiaman Knud is the other witness to Sighting 3. He works for the
Race: Human Kallman farm and is somewhat stupid, needing to be prompted
often in order to reveal the little he knows. He and Halsbret were
Main Profile out working when they spotted a skull heading towards them.
Sigismund started running but Knud waited to hit it with his pet
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel shovel, “Clod.” For whatever reason, the skull turned and flew
back into the trees. Knud carries his shovel everywhere and even
31% 29% 35% 36% 32% 29% 28% 33% takes it to bed.

Secondary Profile Erietta Surhardt

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP This young woman currently lies unconscious in the Rocheteau
house, tended by her mother and Elisabet Rocheteau. She will
1 13 3 3 4 0 0 0 recover consciousness in about 2 days but will still be weak from
blood loss. A successful Heal Skill Test will result in her regaining
Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (the Empire), consciousness a half-hour later and will also reveal that she was
Dodge Blow, Drive, Gamble, Gossip, Outdoor Survival, bitten twice. Note that neither her mother nor Elisabet will allow
Perception, Search, Speak (Reikspiel), Trade (Vintner) any grubby little adventurer to grope Erietta’s body and must be
convinced either of the individual’s medical training, or the need
Talents: Ambidextrous, Night Vision, Specialist Weapon Group to discover information about the attack.
(Two-handed), Strike Mighty Blow Erietta was attacked by surprise and her only recollection is a
“gleaming white face with red eyes” (Sighting 4 on Map 3a).
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin) More information can be gained from her “rescuers,” Wanda and
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0 Hilda Klop, and Imogen Uderlast. They heard a scream and ran
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Club) and Shield over to help, but on seeing a skull on Erietta they immediately ran
Trappings: Uniform, pouch with 1d10 s, 2d10 p back. Their courage returned when they saw the skull flying off
into the forest.
Details on some of these villagers are given below:

Seel Baldurich

Seel is a quite obnoxious, snotty-nosed young boy. He was playing
in the woods when he saw a skull at Location la on the Sightings
map, and ran back frightened. However, having been warned “time

12

The Grapes of Wrath

Note: Wanda and Hilda are twins and continually repeat what the • Knud Gropenfrotteur is wanted for murder in
other has just said and/or confirm the truth of the same statement. Middenheim. (False: Knud has never been to
Middenheim.)
Ludovic and Mathilda Reuter
• Elisabet Rocheteau flaunts lovers before her husband.
This snobbish couple runs the only store in the village. Items (False.)
commonly needed by farming folk are stocked at normal prices
and, since the village is quite prosperous, they also stock some • Gunter Semmelweiss spends a lot of time in the pig-shed.
fancy goods as well. These are invariably useless; folding card (True: he’s a miser and hoards money in the pig-pen.)
tables, toast racks, garden gnomes, and so on. These items are sold
at 25% more than the normal price. • Isolde Guderian got her gold brooch by “being nice.” (False.)
Mathilda is the village gossip and knows many “truths” about • And so on...
people in and around Pritzstock: Mathilda has no time for legends, myths, and the like. If asked
• Henri-Philippe has a mistress in Altdorf and Middenheim. about Stefan Maranaeur (unlikely), she will recall him as a good-
looking wine merchant from Altdorf, “...and they do say he had
(False: he only has a mistress in Middenheim.) a woman in every place he did business.” If stuck for a true bit of
• Aschaffenberg has been disowned for an “indiscretion.” gossip Mathilda will invariably make something up (of a typically
unsavoury nature).
(False: but he did get a servant girl pregnant.)

— Running the Adventure —

If the PCs have behaved intelligently they should find themselves Assuming the party has a skull in sight then it can be captured
hired to deal with the problem of the skulls soon after reaching just like any other creature. However, if the skull is fighting, PCs
the village. The PCs have two days after arriving before the start will need to use a net or something similar since it is not possible
of the harvest is due, and until this time the villagers have no real to simply grab hold of one (just as it’s not possible to grab hold
need to venture beyond the boundary. If the skull problem still of someone’s sword arm). Various skills may be tried and the GM
remains, villagers will not work the vineyards unless guarded by should consider each on its merits. It’s not impossible to capture a
a personal escort: their livelihood may suffer but it’s better than skull, but neither is it like catching a ball.
being killed. Even if the PCs are willing and able to guard the
villagers it will have little effect as far as the harvest is concerned, Using a Captured Skull
since without migrant workers (scared off by rumours and the
skulls west and east), the amount of grapes harvested will be Skulls cannot be interrogated but may come in useful nevertheless.
negligible. The behaviour of a captured skull depends on its state. If active
The militia, led by Parzival, is at the PCs’ disposal. However,
unlike their leader, they harbour no desire to go skull-hunting.
Parzival will therefore instruct them to maintain a watch along the
village boundary. Parzival will be all too eager to engage the skulls.
The adventurers will probably form three objectives: gaining
information about attacks (dealt with previously), trying to
capture a skull, and attempting to locate where they are coming
from. The last two are dealt with below.

Capturing a Skull

This is not an easy task. The initial problem is that there is simply
nothing to capture. Over the last month or so, only four sightings
have occurred (plus the one which wrecked the coach). Like it or
not, the PCs will have to wait for a skull to come to them. Beating
the undergrowth around Pritzstock is unlikely to have any effect.

Unknown to the PCs, the skulls are following a timetable laid
down by Dieter. Most of the last months’ sightings have been the
results of Dieter’s experiments in control; moving, hiding, watching,
following, and attacking. The attack on Erietta marked the end of
Dieter’s experiments. After the attack, Dieter had the skull return
to inspect it for damage. Having done this Dieter sent skulls to take
up positions north, west, and east of the village. These will be in
position by approximately 3:00 pm in the afternoon following the
attack on Erietta (i.e., the day the PCs arrive), and are discussed in
the Timetable of Events. Sightings of further skulls will depend on
Dieter’s timetable and any activity on the part of the PCs.

13

The Grapes of Wrath

the skull will do whatever Dieter tells it. If passive the skull will Day 3
keep on trying to carry out its last instructions. If the skull is in a
dormant state, the PCs may make use of its orientation ability (say Dieter will have the north skull sneak to the village and attack a
by using it as a compass or by putting it on a lead), or attempt to lone individual for a couple of rounds.
gain control (and perhaps use it to follow other skulls). Further
details are provided in the Bestiary. However, the villagers will not Day 4
be too happy at the prospect of a magical skull, no matter how
tame, flying around the village. As Day 3, but Dieter will try and attack an on-duty militiaman.
If Wuder Lechhart approaches within 5 yards of a dormant skull He will also have the skull attack a second person while the injured
it will sense his bit of warpstone and try to move towards it. If it’s lookout is being attended to.
able to move, the skull will fly slowly up to Wuder (who will watch
in fascination), and then snuggle up to him like a pet cat, getting Day 5
as close to the warpstone as possible.
At the end of the day Dieter will initiate his first night attack. The
Tracking a Skull skull will go from one house to another, breaking windows and
briefly attacking the occupants, attacking some six houses in total.
Although the skulls do not travel fast, they are able to fly, which
makes conventional use of the Follow Trail skill impossible. Their Day 6
ability to fly and small size allows them to lose themselves in the
forest fairly easily. Under no circumstances will Dieter’s lair be Under increasing pressure from “Stefan,” Dieter will have the
discovered by chance; the area to search is too big and the cave north skull attack the Rocheteau house, entering via the chimney
entrance too well hidden for that to happen. Inventive PCs may if the windows are boarded, or battering a door open if the
work out various plans to follow a skull and the GM must again chimney is blocked. Elisabet will be ignored, but Rocheteau will be
judge each on its merit. The skulls have a Flying Movement 8 and attacked and, if possible, killed. You may wish to have this attack
they never tire, so they are difficult to follow for long distances. take place as Rocheteau and the party are discussing what to do
Characters running full-tilt in the forest must make a Challenging over meal or drink.
(–10%) Agility Test every round to avoid tripping over roots,
smashing into low branches, and so on. Characters that fail fall Day 7
down and must use the stand action to regain their feet. Such
delays cost precious time and likely allow the skulls to escape. If Rocheteau is dead the skulls will restrict their activities to
stopping work in the fields. If he is still alive, then before dawn
Timetable of Events Dieter will also have a skull scrape a message in the ground outside
his house, “Death to Rocheteau,” and the events for Days 8 and 9
This timetable breaks down the events of the adventure, from the will take place.
day the PCs arrive (Day 0) to Day 9, when it’ll be over one way
or another. The timetable is, of course, subject to change, either Day 8
because of PC activity or if the GM wants to increase the pace of the
adventure. Dieter’s motivations are of direct relevance to the activity of Dieter will recall all skulls in preparation for a mass attack, so some
the skulls, and the GM should refer to his description for fuller details. work in the vineyards is possible. However, at dusk he will have
one of the skulls fly over with a message in its mouth, “Hand over
Day 0 (afternoon) Rocheteau by dawn and you may go in peace.” The message will be
delivered to one of the adventurers.
One skull takes up a vantage position ¾ mile north of Pritzstock
to watch over the village and vineyards. One skull takes up a Day 9
position 2 miles west of Pritzstock by the road, and another 5
miles east of Pritzstock, also by the road. The west and east skulls At dawn Dieter will have all 4 skulls laying siege to the village.
are programmed to attack any humanoid they see, but to break If Rocheteau is waiting to be handed over (presumably bound
off the attack if the victim flees. The north skull is programmed to and gagged), the skulls will perform a very messy execution. If
sit and wait. Dieter assumes active control of this skull every 30 Rocheteau is not so delivered, anything that moves will be attacked
minutes in order to gaze upon the area. If villagers are working the and killed but the skulls will concentrate their efforts into finding/
fields, Dieter will keep control and have the skull attack. If Dieter attacking Rocheteau.
can see nothing of interest he will set the skull to continue waiting. The skulls will systematically search each house in turn: One active
On the first occasion Dieter spots adventurers (via a skull) he will skull will attempt to gain entry, while the other 3 watch and wait.
investigate further, but will not attack unless provoked. On gaining entry the skulls will attack anyone inside, finishing
During the night Dieter will assume control of the north skull their attack by causing as much damage as possible, including
every 4 hours and will then fly it around the area to spy on setting houses alight by knocking over lanterns, etc. Dieter will
activities in the village. keep up this siege until all houses have been searched or Rocheteau
is killed, replacing any skulls that are destroyed in the process.
Days 1 and 2 His final act will be to have the skulls carry burning torches to the
fields in order to destroy the vineyards as well.
Dieter will keep up the “watch-and-wait” pattern. Once the village has been razed to the ground then Dieter will
consider his revenge complete, irrespective of whether Rocheteau
is still alive. His final act will be to have a skull inscribe the words
“For Stefan” in the ashes near the Rocheteau house.

14

The Grapes of Wrath

— The Wizard in the Woods —

Map 4 shows the underground lair of Dieter Maranaeur and It is possible for the party to deal with the wizard without resorting
his mercenary bodyguard, Kurt Schultz. The cave is some to violence. If they have knowledge about Stefan’s death and can
7½ miles northeast of Pritzstock (marked A on Map 2). The persuade Dieter they have dealt with Rocheteau then a truce might
entrance is very well hidden and effectively impossible to locate be arranged. Dieter will want proof, but will be willing to send a
by normal searching on a small scale. However, if the party has skull to investigate.
an approximate fix on the cave (say ¼ mile radius), a line-search
using the whole village will prove successful (if the villagers can be The Effects of Smoke
persuaded).
Even if the PCs fail to find the cave entrance they may discover It is quite possible for the PCs to decide on using fire to drive
something unusual. Characters making a Hard (–20%) out those in the cave. Gathering suitable material will take about
Perception Test will spot carefully concealed bundles of wood 2 man-hours, and in their search, the bundles already prepared
dotted about the forest. Otto Baldurich and his companions by the Middenheimers may be spotted as described above. If dry
gathered and placed these bundles near the cave in the event wood is used then people in the cave will be forced to leave after
they decide to smoke out Dieter and his bodyguard. The wood is about 30 minutes. If “greenwood” is used much more smoke will
therefore dry but contains a lot of green stuff to produce smoke. be produced, forcing people to leave in 10 minutes. If they stay
Assuming the party locates the cave and keeps it under beyond these times, the normal rules for suffocation apply.
observation, the following facts will be revealed during the day
(excluding changes due to play): The Cave
• 3 skulls arrive at about 1:00am and 3 skulls leave shortly
Area A
after.
• A rough-looking fighter type leaves at around dawn and Two candles provide faint illumination in the passage leading
into the cave. The passage shows signs of footprints if a successful
returns d10–3 hours later, sometimes with some game Follow Trail Skill Test is made.
(usually rabbit).
• In the early evening a wild-looking man emerges, has a Area B
stretch and a few deep breaths, and returns to the cave after
taking a short walk. He is followed by a skull, which flits The passage turns at this point, and on the south wall a skull can
from tree to tree wherever the man goes. This individual be seen resting on a ledge. A candle rests on the skull and has
looks very ragged round the edges, with matted hair and covered it with melted wax.
greasy stubble. This is a normal skull but has the spell magic alarm cast on it. A
Of course the party must make sure they are not spotted by any of Perception Test will reveal that the footprints stay clear of the
the cave’s inhabitants. It is also possible that the party is spotted by skull. The spell will activate if a creature comes within 2 yards,
the Middenheim gang, who have posted a watch some 200 yards informing Dieter that intruders are present.
away to the northwest of the cave (only 30 yards away during The passage opens up beyond the skull to reveal a large candle-lit
the night). Any sighting will be immediately reported to Otto at cave to the right and a cloth screen ahead. Unless forewarned,
Location B on Map 2 (details of Otto Baldurich and the other Dieter and Kurt will have a torch burning in Area E and the light
adventurers can be found in the next section). from this will appear under the curtain. The party may hear the
If Dieter learns of individuals outside he will, if given time, use a men talking or snoring depending on the time of day and how
skull to investigate. He normally has one waiting passively in the cautious they have been.
cave while the other three are out. If at any time it looks like he
will be attacked the wizard will terminate control of any skulls Area C
far away and begin to assert control of skulls in the cave (but this
takes time). This area is used as a store of iron rations and water barrels, about
Both Dieter and Kurt will realise the cave could become a trap and 6 man-weeks worth in total. Torches, candles, etc. are also here.
will want to act quickly. As soon as Dieter has a full complement Dieter and Kurt are self-sufficient in food and water, but Kurt still
of skulls, he will use them to initiate an attack. Once all the skulls goes out hunting fresh game. A small individual could hide behind
are engaged he and Kurt will emerge and act appropriately. Only the stores but would be automatically spotted if the stores were
when Dieter is attempting to gain control of a skull (or is in active utilised.
control of one) does he need to spend time in concentration.
If subjected to a surprise attack in the cave, the two men will Area D
simply make the best of it. Dieter will again try to assert control
over skulls in the cave rather than wait for skulls already under his About 32 human, beastman, and ratman skulls are laid in this area
command to return. Dieter is driven by an obsession and will fight in a weird pattern. The cave was the site of Chaos activity but was
to the bitter end. Kurt is simply a mercenary and will surrender if abandoned long ago. Depressions can be seen in the sand where
reduced to 2 Wounds or below. 10 other skulls were laid. Some 6 inches below each depression,
buried in the sand, is a small nugget of warpstone. That is, there
should be. One of the depressions actually shows signs of digging

15

The Grapes of Wrath

Dieter Maranaeur

Approaching 30 and of medium build, Dieter is beginning to look
fairly mad. He has not washed, combed, or shaved for two weeks,
and his only set of clothes are creased and dirt-ridden.
Despite his appearance, Dieter is (initially) reasonably sane, apart
from his obsession with ruining Pritzstock. However, under the
influence of the cave and Stefan’s spirit, the bright wizard will
become increasingly unstable as the days pass. This is reflected in
the behaviour of the skulls—early on they simply frighten people,
but are later used to attack and kill.
If captured (and Rocheteau is still alive) Dieter will not reveal
much without being tortured. If brought face-to-face with
Rocheteau, Dieter will fall into a mad rage and attempt to kill
him. If Rocheteau has already been killed then he will be proud of
his activities, claiming that it was just retribution for the death of
his brother.

and the piece of warpstone under the skull is missing, removed Dieter and the Skulls
by Wuder Lechart about a decade ago. Altogether the 42 pieces of
warpstone weigh about ½ lb. All previous sightings were part of Dieter’s experiments. The attack
Four of the skulls are now under Dieter’s control; the other six on the coach was to see if Dieter could control a skull while he was
are in a heap to the south (the result of failed attempts to gain away from the cave. As a result of these experiments Dieter knows
control). Obviously these numbers will alter if skulls are destroyed. most of what is described in the Bestiary. However, he does not
If Dieter is trying to gain control of one of the remaining skulls, he know that a metal barrier will negate control or that a dormant skull
will be found in this area. orientates itself with respect to the cave and, having done so, will
This area is soaked with magical energy, as a Very Easy (+30%) attempt to return home. Under normal circumstances Dieter would
Magical Sense Skill Test reveals. Casting Rolls made within the have probably investigated the source of the skulls’ power, but in his
cave receive a +1 bonus for each 1d10 rolled. present state of mind, rational thoughts are not common.
A timetable of Dieter’s use of the skulls has already been given.
Area E This reflects his twin desires to ruin the village and kill Rocheteau,
modified by his increasing madness. As described in the Bestiary,
Behind a sackcloth curtain is the living quarters of Dieter and Kurt. A Dieter can have up to 4 skulls under his control. These are
torch provides light. The only furnishings are makeshift beds. normally deployed as follows:
Dieter and Kurt spend most of their time in here. When neither 1: Stays in the cave near Dieter as a personal bodyguard.
have anything to do (which is often) they play draughts. Under 2: Flits around the north of Pritzstock generally waiting for
Dieter’s instructions Kurt is making a simple chess set from odd
bits of wood. Dieter reckons that teaching Kurt chess would help Dieter to assume active control.
time pass for another month. 3: Waits and attacks travellers on the road to Lichlinberg.
When not out hunting (which he does around dawn), Kurt is busy 4: Waits and attacks travellers on the road to Grubentreich.
whittling. Dieter is often resting but during the day can be found If any of these are destroyed or negated Dieter may initiate control
in a trance-like state as he concentrates on controlling a skull (20% of another skull in the cave as described in the Bestiary. In
chance). At night the chance of finding him controlling a skull running the skulls the GM should remember that only one can act
drops to 10%. intelligently at any one time (i.e., the one controlled by Dieter).
Dieter will also have a skull in here as extra protection. The skull is The others will blindly carry out their last instruction. Dieter is
normally passive so it would take Dieter 1 round to establish active able to co-ordinate the activities of all 4 skulls either by directly
control, and another round to give it a new set of instructions if controlling each in turn, or by having the three passive skulls
desired. follow the active skull.
In addition to the events timetabled, Dieter also recalls the skulls
at about midnight. Since the skulls lose their power if they’re away
from the cave for too long, Dieter must replace skulls on duty
with fresh ones. The flight from Pritzstock to the cave is 1 hour,
so initially the PCs will have a 2-hour window during which no
skulls are around Pritzstock.

Dieter Maranaeur, Vengeful Twin

Career: Master Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard, ex-Journeyman
Wizard)

Race: Human

16

The Grapes of Wrath

Main Profile will maintain that he had no idea that the skulls were being used
against people.
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel If asked about the wizard, Kurt will say that he can only control 4
skulls in total and often spends time in a trance. Any other information
42% 41% 35% 34% 59% 65% 69% 44% that doesn’t implicate him in illegal activities will also be freely revealed
(Kurt knows he’s a wizard of the Bright Order, for instance). Kurt has
Secondary Profile no comprehension of the finer points of skull control.
If Tortured, Charmed, or otherwise coerced, Kurt may reveal the
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP following facts:
• The wizard has a grudge against Pritzstock.
1 13 3 3 4 3 0 0 • He has a bigger grudge against the Mayor.
• He’s using the skulls to kill the Mayor.
Skills: Academic Knowledge (Magic +10%, Runes), Channelling • And ruin the village.
+10%, Common Knowledge (the Empire, Kislev, Tilea), • The grudge has something to do with his brother’s death.
Gossip +10%, Intimidate +10%, Magical Sense +10%, • The wizard’s brother used to work in the village.
Perception, Read/Write +10%, Ride +10%, Search, Speak
Arcane Language (Arcane Elf, Magick +20%), Speak Kurt Schultz
(Classical, Kislevian, Reikspiel, Tilean)
Career: Mercenary
Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Arcane Lore (Fire), Dark Magic, Race: Human
Fast Hands, Lesser Magic (Magic Alarm, Move, Silence),
Lightning Reflexes, Mighty Missile, Petty Magic (Arcane), Main Profile
Resistance to Magic, Savvy, Strong-minded

Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Quarter Staff
Trappings: Backpack, grimoire, printed book, writing kit

Kurt Schultz, Sell-Sword WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

Kurt is a typical mercenary, all brawn and no brain, who will go 47% 39% 44% 37% 36% 35% 30% 24%
where the money is. His cousin Albrecht is a wizard’s apprentice
in Middenheim, which is how Dieter came to hear of Kurt and Secondary Profile
engage his services. Dieter pays Kurt to protect him, find food,
and perform any other needed tasks. A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
Kurt regards Dieter as a bit of a nutcase. Whilst he knows little
of the wizard’s grudge against Pritzstock, his mercenary ethics 2 12 4 3 4 0 2 0
mean he doesn’t much care either. He is not willing to lay down
his life for the wizard, and if he and Dieter are trapped in the Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire, Tilea), Dodge Blow,
cave Kurt won’t think twice about fleeing, hoping to bargain with Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Perception, Ride, Secret Language
any attackers (revealing information about Dieter in return for (Battle Tongue), Speak (Reikspiel, Tilean)
being set free). Kurt will claim that he doesn’t know what the
skulls get up to, being employed to simply guard the wizard. He Talents: Disarm, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Very Strong,
Warrior Born

Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt, Full Leather Armour)
Armour Points: Head 1, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 1
Weapons: Crossbow, Shield, and Spear
Trappings: Healing draught, 10 bolts

— The Adventurers’ Lair —

As mentioned earlier, the player characters and Dieter Middenheimer Deployment
Maranauer are not the only outsiders in the Pitzstock area.
The lair of these other adventurers is marked Location B on Map Roll Disposition
2. The map can be found on page 5. The Middenheimers also
keep a watch on the wizard’s cave from a vantage point 200 yards 1-4 4 in the lair, 1 at the cave-watch
northwest of Location A during the day, and 30 yards away during 5-8 3 in the lair, 1 at the cave-watch, 1 out hunting
the night. 9-10 2 in the lair, 2 at the cave-watch, 1 out hunting
The lair is simply a well-hidden glade, close to a small spring. A
full search of the area will reveal the glade, but simply walking past Otto and Gregor will always be found in the glade. During the
will not. night, each of the five will take turns keeping watch.
Otto Baldurich and his companions have been in the area for just
over a week. Otto has thus far been unwilling to enter the cave in These adventurers will be quite wary if they’re discovered in their
force, since he does not know how powerful the skulls are. This lair and will attack if the PCs do anything “suspicious” (which is
is not sitting particularly well with Gregor, who would prefer to open to the Gamemaster’s interpretation). If the guard on cave
charge in immediately. Of course, any activity by the PCs will watch is spotted, he (or they) will immediately flee to inform the
force the group’s hand. others. The distance between the watch-post and lair is about
At any one time the deployment of the Middenheimers will be as half a mile, and the guard will cover the ground in about 10
follows: minutes moving at standard rate.

If the main group is alerted to the presence of people near the
cave, they will move up to see what is going on, arriving some

17

The Grapes of Wrath

30 minutes from when the PCs were first seen by whoever was Main Profile
watching Dieter’s cave. In this case, the players will be seen as
being in league with Dieter and treated accordingly. Otto will WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
have the others move to spring an ambush, but if it looks like the
PCs and wizard are heading for a fight, he will delay attacking 44% 33% 35% 41% 45% 59% 58% 44%
until one side has won (and presumably been weakened by their
effort). If the PCs are trapped in the cave by the Middenheimers, Secondary Profile
you may wish for Otto to propose a deal. For example, if the PCs
leave their weapons behind, they will be allowed to leave the cave A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
unharmed. Otto will only give the party 5 minutes to decide,
and if the PCs do not agree, he will order the others to begin 1 14 3 4 4 2 0 0
smoking them out (See The Effects of Smoke). As mentioned
previously, the Middenheimers have prepared suitable wood Skills: Academic Knowledge (History, Magic +10%), Channelling
for this very purpose. It will take 2 of them only 15 minutes to +10%, Charm, Common Knowledge (Dwarfs, the Empire,
gather it together. Norsca), Gossip +10%, Magical Sense +10%, Perception,
If events lead to combat, the Middenheimers will fight until Otto Read/Write +10%, Ride, Search, Speak Arcane Language
and Gregor are put down, then the rest will retreat. Should the (Magick +10%), Speak (Classical, Khazalid, Norse, Reikspiel)
party agree to his terms, Otto will allow them to leave (unless, of
course, you decide that the troll slayer doesn’t support that idea). Talents: Arcane Lore (the Heavens), Aethyric Attunement, Fast
None of the five have any inkling about the warpstone, although Hands, Lesser Magic (Aethyric Armour, Dispel), Mighty
Otto is relatively certain that dark magic is involved. Should it be Missile, Petty Magic (Arcane), Resistance to Magic, Strong-
uncovered, he will recognize the warpstone for the evil that it is minded, Very Resilient
and will want to take it back to the city so that it can be properly
disposed of. Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
The Middenheim Band Weapons: Quarter Staff
Trappings: Backpack, grimoire, link of chainmail, printed book,
Details of and statistics for Otto’s band of adventurers are listed
below. small silver hammer, writing kit

Otto Baldurich Gregor Skelgard

Many of the residents of Pritzstock know Seel Baldurich as the Gregor had not planned on becoming friends with Otto—the
obstreperous nuisance that he is. His uncle Otto, however, has first time he met the journeyman wizard he tried to bean the man
never made that connection. This may be partially due to the fact with a tankard for daring to interrupt his drinking—but the two
that he has not seen his nephew in some years, although he has crossed paths so often that the Dwarf eventually let down his
had a soft spot for the boy since he was born. So when his nephew defences. Although they have known each other for years since
sent him a letter requesting his help, Otto was quick to act. then, Gregor has never revealed the secret shame that led him to
Technically, Otto has not yet finished his studies in the Light become a giant slayer ... nor does he intend to.
Order, but the letter provided the final impetus for him to pursue When Otto mentioned that he wanted to leave Middenheim to
what he had already been considering—a life of adventure. He, seek adventure, Gregor practically packed his bags for him. The
his friend Gregor, and three thugs they had hired for the excursion tentative nature that his friend has displayed thus far, however, has
set out for Pritzstock to rescue the village from the rather vaguely not been sitting well with the Dwarf. For despite his friendship,
worded menace his nephew described. Gregor’s shame is still deeply rooted and he longs for the escape
Otto purposely did not go directly to Pritzstock in order to prevent that death will finally bring him.
whoever was threatening the village from learning of their presence Gregor, like most slayers, has shaved all the hair off his head except
(a sound strategy that has worked to perfection). He and the rest for a single stripe down the middle, which is spiked and dyed
of his band have been in the woods outside town for a little over right orange. On one side of his skull is a tattoo of the Hammer of
a week, and only discovered the cave where Dieter and Kurt are Sigmar; on the other is the pick of Grungni.
holed up two days ago. Understandably, Otto has had to restrain
Gregor from rushing in, a task that is growing more difficult with Gregor Skelgard, Giant Slayer
each passing hour.
Physically, Otto looks very much like a larger version of his Career: Giant Slayer (ex-Troll Slayer).
nephew. They share the same hair and eye colour, and Otto even Race: Dwarf
wears his hair in the same pageboy cut.
Main Profile
Otto Baldurich, Concerned Uncle
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
Career: Journeyman Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard)
Race: Human 53% 28% 44% 51% 38% 33% 41% 18%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

2 16 4 5 3 0 5 0

Skills: Common Knowledge (Dwarfs, the Empire), Consume
Alcohol +10%, Dodge Blow +10%, Intimidate +10%,
Speak Language (Khazalid, Reikspiel), Trade (Smith).

Talents: Disarm, Dwarfcraft, Fearless, Grudge-born Fury, Hardy,
Lightning Reflexes, Night Vision, Resistance to Poison,

18

The Grapes of Wrath

Specialist Weapon Group (Flail, Two-handed), Street Fighter,
Strike to Injure, Stout-hearted, Strike Mighty Blow, Sturdy
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-handed Axe), Hand Weapon
(Hand Axe)
Trappings: None

Hired Muscle

Robb, Wilhelm, and Robert are the three thugs hired by Otto and
Gregor. They are in this strictly for the money, and are willing to
put themselves at considerable risk to receive the remainder of
their pay (100 gc).
Although Robb and Wilhelm are twins, in truth there is little
physical difference between the three men: each is a large, hulking
brute who confidently uses violence as a means to solve almost
every problem. They will not think of betraying the men who hold
their purse strings; in fact, they usually prefer to think only when
absolutely necessary.

Robb, Wilhelm, and Robert

Career: Thug
Race: Human

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

41% 35% 35% 41% 43% 23% 30% 39% (Thieves’ Tongue), Speak (Reikspiel)
Talents: Disarm, Fleet Footed, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw,
Secondary Profile
Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun, Very Strong
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt, Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 0
2 13 3 4 5 0 2 0 Weapons: Hand Weapon (Mace), Knuckle-dusters.
Trappings: 5 gc
Skills: Consume Alcohol, Common Knowledge (the Empire),
Dodge Blow, Gamble, Gossip, Intimidate, Secret Language

— Concluding the Adventure —

The PCs may have played the adventure as an exercise in hack- Punishment of Dieter and Kurt will depend on what they did
’n’-slay, killing Dieter, Kurt, and the Middenheim band. In during the adventure.
this case, most everyone in Pritzstock will be delighted—although Trials in Altdorf often take a long time and so legal calls to the PCs
Seel Bardurich’s father will demand an explanation as to why they as witnesses may be sooner or later according to the GM’s desire.
killed his brother—and the party will be rewarded as agreed (and At the end of the adventure the PCs may have 42 pieces of
over Herr Baldurich’s objections). On the other hand, if the PCs warpstone. Just what happens when all the little bits are brought
fail to stop the skull attacks and do not discover that Stefan was together is left up to you. They may not guess that the splinters of
murdered, then there will be misery all round. In this case, assume rock are warpstone, in which case it may come as a nasty surprise
the Middenheimers eventually storm the cave (having first dealt to find a Skaven raiding party on their trail a few months later
with Kurt), taking Dieter back to the village and the warpstone (or alternatively, when individuals start growing a third eye, begin
back to the City of the White Wolf. sprouting extra limbs, and so forth).
If the PCs bring Dieter to the village, it will certainly liven things
up: Henri-Phillippe could get very scared or angry, followed Experience Points
closely behind by a hysterical murderous rage from Elisabet. Note
that bringing a dead Dieter back to Pritzstock will still cause The following xp awards (per PC) are suggested for this adventure,
Elisabet to react. but modify these to suit the circumstances of your campaign.
If, by whatever means, Henri-Phillippe is found to have murdered
Stefan Maranauer, then Parzival Aschaffenberg will insist that 1. Roleplaying in Prltzstock: 5 - 60 xp
he be sent to Altdorf for trial. The same will apply to Dieter and
Kurt. With the evidence of a body in his cellar, Rocheteau will be In addition to playing their character consistently, you should
found guilty and executed. His estate will then pass to Elisabet. take account of the quality, diplomacy, and incisiveness displayed

19

The Grapes of Wrath

when talking to the people of Pritzstock. Sensible plans for getting should earn more points, as should any tactic that makes them
information and intelligent use of information should be especially surrender without a sword being drawn.
rewarded.
4. Dealing with Otto Baldurich and His
2. Dealing with the Skull Attacks: 10 - 50 xp Compatriots: 10-30 xp

Award experience points for clever tactics that exploit the skull’s This will probably mean a fight. No points should be awarded if
weaknesses. Other factors deserving credit include mobilising the the Middenheimers defeat the players or take Dieter and Kurt on
villagers in an effective way, tracking the skulls to their source, and their own.
working out the various limitations of the skulls. PCs should be
thinking ahead on how the village and harvest can best be protected. 5. Saving the Harvest: 5 xp per full day saved
(max 35)
3. Dealing with Dieter and Kurt: 5 - 40 xp
With a sucessful resolution of this adventure, Pritzstock’s harvest
Rushing the cave as soon as they arrive is not the best way of can commence.
earning xp (unless, of course, the PCs have dealt with the skulls No fate points are awarded for this adventure.
and are aiming for surprise). Capturing Dieter, Kurt, or both

The Death Skulls In its active state a
skull sends visual
The Death Skulls consist of Human, Beastman, and Skaven skulls signals back to its
which have developed powers due to prolonged exposure to controller. When
warpstone. Normal skulls do not react to warpstone in this manner; it controlling a skull
requires special chantings and rituals soon after the creature’s death to an individual
produce the effect. must remain
The skulls have no innate intelligence but can be used to carry out the completely relaxed
direct and indirect commands of a controlling spellcaster. A skull may and composed.
be in one of four states. Any physical
• Active: (indicated by the eye sockets glowing bright-red) movement will
immediately
whenever the controller is in direct command. negate control,
• Passive: (indicated by a dim red glow in the eye sockets) when as will failed tests
versus Fear and the
the skull is carrying out pre-set instructions. like. The command range is 6 miles and command lasts for as long as
• Dormant: when a skull is neither under direct or indirect the spellcaster can maintain complete concentration. The spellcaster
may use the skull to follow direct commands or “re-program” the skull
control. In this state a skull will seek to return to the “Chaos- to carry out a new set of instructions (re-programming takes a full
cave” immediately. The skull will simply orientate itself to face action).
the cave if it is prevented from returning there for some reason. Any skull will become dormant if it becomes separated from its
The actual rotation (if not the cause) is obvious if the skull is controller by more than 6 miles, or if completely shielded from its
observed while moving it about. A successful Perception Skill controller by a metal barrier for more than 1 round.
Test is needed to notice the effect if the skull is moved without
being watched. This orientation effect will be overridden if a The Death Skulls
localised source of Chaos (say, a small fragment of warpstone), is
brought within 5 yards of a dormant skull. In this case the skull Main Profile T Ag Int WP Fel
will try to get to the nearer piece for as long as it remains within WS BS S 37% 34% — — —
the stated range. 41% — 35%
• Dead: when the skull reaches 0 Wounds or has been away from Secondary Profile TB M Mag IP FP
a source of Chaos for more than 24 hours. From this point the A W SB 3 — (8) 0 0 0
skull becomes quite “normal.” 1 11 3
A skull’s usual condition is dormant. To achieve control a caster must
first be within 1 yard of the skull, then spend a half action to make Skills: Dodge Blow +10%
a Channeling Skill Test. A failed test means that the skull “dies.” If Talents: Fearless, Frightening, Hoverer, Natural Weapons, Night
control is established, the skull becomes attuned to the spellcaster. It
can then be made passive by giving it instructions to follow, or active Vision
by continuing direct command. An individual may have up to 4 skulls Armour: None
following passive instructions at any one time. Active control of any of Armour Points: Head 0, Arms —, Body —, Legs —
these 4 can be achieved after a full action has been spent concentrating; Weapons: Teeth
a spellcaster may therefore flit between passive skulls, making each one
active as he does so, at will.

20

For Love or Money

• For Love or Money •

For Love or Money is a short adventure that takes place in and that far from the centre of the Empire, Gamemasters should
around the small town of Mittleresdorf, which is situated near the feel free to move the town to any other Imperial setting that’s
southwestern corner of Wissenland, several days’ journey upriver somewhat off the beaten path.
from Wissenburg. Although a number of potential reasons will be The adventure is suited for characters in their first careers, and can
provided as to why a party of adventurers would be in a location be completed within a few gaming sessions.

— Synopsis —

Not long after finding a suitable inn in Mittleresdorf, the PCs they are owed. Julianne is not able to provide many details to the
will make the acquaintance of Bertram Bediensteter, the adventurers after she is rescued, as she is too busy being violently
manservant of one of the town’s few nobles, Bela Dustermann. Herr ill. Although it appears that this is a result of pregnancy, the truth
Dustermann, it turns out, has a daughter named Julianne who has is far more sinister:
run away with the leader of a group of bandits. Dustermann had Bela Dusterman did in fact make a deal with the Skaven in order
recently sent some local youths to retrieve her, but the bandits made to further his studies of Chaos—studies that are about to bear fruit
short work of them and the noble believes that the PCs will be of when Julianne transforms into something far from human.
sterner mettle. However, all that is still in the future for the PCs. Bela Dustermann’s
After gathering some information around town, the adventurers story, on the other hand, began a number of years ago…
will be able to track the bandits to their lair in a series of caves
about a day’s journey away. Once they arrive, they find that most What Came Before
of the rogues have been brutally slaughtered. The one survivor is
Julianne’s beau, Rudiger, who is only able to tell the PCs that his A Youth of Privilege
band never had a chance against the attackers, who seemed to have
materialized from nowhere. Bela Dustermann was always curious. As the youngest of four
Nowhere, it turns out, is a series of tunnels leading to the other boys growing up in a moderately wealthy family in Middenheim,
side of the foothills, dug by a group of Skaven. The Skaven, who Bela quickly distinguished himself from his elder siblings with
have Julianne in tow, attempt to persuade the adventurers that his insatiable hunger for knowledge. He wanted to know why
they were promised Julianne, and that they are simply taking what

21

For Love or Money

the sky was blue, why Dwarfs were short, and why he had to go from Clan Moulder, discovered them. In order to keep their lives,
to bed at nightfall when he really, really, really wasn’t tired. His Bela made a bargain: he would only take a sliver of the stone, and
parents thought he would make a wonderful scholar, perhaps even he promised the Skaven that he would create a mutant creature
a lawyer. such as the Skaven had never seen before. Bela was lucky that these
Then Bela became a teenager. And while his curiosity didn’t abate Skaven were from Clan Moulder; other clans would simply have
in the slightest, he was now more inclined to unravel the mysteries slaughtered them. The Skaven agreed to the plan, hoping such
of alcohol, women, and how one might be used to procure experimentation on Humans would aid their own crossbreeding
the other. The Dustermanns were lenient with their youngest schemes. They gave Bela and Bertram a deadline: they had one
child—perhaps a touch more than they should have been. One by year to deliver the prize.
one, Bela’s brothers graduated and became respectable men with
respectable careers—and still Bela continued his “explorations.” A Ticking Clock, a Twisted Plan
All it took for Bela’s fortunes to shift were a dagger, a woman, and
a night he would forever be unable to remember. When he awoke Bela thought he would have a better chance of success if he
the next day he was in his room, covered in blood, a cold corpse by conducted his experiments on someone who was young enough
his side. Before he could be discovered, he took a set of clothes, a to survive them and old enough to already have strength of his
bedroll, and as many gold crowns as he could carry. or her own. So he visited an orphanage run by Shallyan priests,
posing as a rich philanthropist whose daughter had died from
The Descent into Chaos the pox. He offered a generous payment to the orphanage in
exchange for a new 16-year-old “daughter” named Julianne. The
For the next fourteen years, Bela wandered the Empire, living mostly girl was delighted to escape the dour orphanage and returned
by wits and guile. Finally, he was able to find something as big as his with Bela and Bertram to Mittleresdorf. Bela began to feed her
curiosity—and he drank in his fill. He learned all he could about the potions to “build up her strength.” Naturally, these potions were
way the world worked and the darkness that lurked just beneath the laced with warpstone and other arcane ingredients. After many
surface. In time, he learned of the wonders of Chaos, and soon after months Bela began to detect the hoped for changes. They have not
he began to explore ways to probe the dark arts. manifested externally as of yet, but Bela is certain that Julianne’s
It was during his travels that Bela met Bertram Bediensteter, a transformation is imminent.
fellow wanderer and follower of the Changer of Ways. The two Of course, Bela has no idea exactly what will be unleashed once
became fast friends, and together they settled in Mittleresdorf, the transformation begins in earnest. But he does know two
posing as noble and servant. They used Mittleresdorf as the things: The experiment will likely kill the subject, and if it doesn’t,
base for their wandering, exploring ways to advance Bela’s latest he has no intention of turning it over to the Skaven. If Julianne
obsession—the mutation of flesh. In the eastern reaches of survives the transformation, Bela must be able to study her to
Wissenland, Bela and Bertram found what they needed—a lump further his research. Otherwise, it would all have been for naught.
of warpstone. Unfortunately, they were unable to abscond with Bela has considered the ramifications of his actions and he is willing
their find before the warpstone’s true owners, a pack of Skaven to accept them. However, something has happened that may ruin
Bela’s carefully laid plans: Julianne has fallen deeply in love.

— Mittleresdorf —

Mittleresdorf was founded to provide the region’s farmers with Aside from occasionally presenting the interests of Mittleresdorf
the opportunity for permanent residences within a protected abroad, the Councillor basically serves as the town treasurer. He
community while simultaneously drawing more people to the is responsible for paying Imperial taxes, paying to maintain city
area. The first measure has been largely successful, although there streets and walls, paying the town’s small contingent of Watchmen,
are still a few farmers who prefer to create their own small but and making certain that there are enough crowns coming in from
functional homes outside the walls in order to be closer to their the residents to cover those and any other unforeseen expenses.
crops (see Location 4: The Dregs). In addition to the largely Human population, Mittleresdorf
The town has not proven to be much of a draw to those outside has proven to be popular with Dwarfs. This is not altogether
the surrounding area, and there are quite a few houses that are surprising, as both the Black and Grey Mountains are nearby. In
vacant and in disrepair. This is especially true of the northwestern general, the Dwarfs tend to keep to their own business and their
area of town, as it is the section furthest from any of the city gates. own kind, and their interactions with Humans are few. Elves and
Two groups that have taken up residence are traders and Halflings sometimes travel through the town, but rarely stay long.
merchants. Although they make up a small portion of the total There are no dedicated temples of any kind within the town. The
population, they currently dominate the town’s limited political farmers prefer to give their devotions out in the fields, and most
system. The town has a single Councillor, who is generally put everyone else prefers to pray to their gods at private altars within
forth from the merchant class and confirmed by a vote of the their residences.
entire populace. While a farmer certainly could campaign for
the position if they were unhappy with the current Councillor’s Places of Note
practices (an unlikely event, as most Councillors are savvy
enough to conduct their duties without angering their largest Here are some of the places of note in Mittleresdorf. You can place
constituency), the time requirements necessary for the job are other locations mentioned in the adventure (e.g., the smithy, the
enough to discourage most of them. apothecary’s shop) as you see fit.

22

For Love or Money

1. Main Gate 4. The Dregs

The main gate is a set of two heavy, iron-banded wooden doors The farmers who preferred expediency to protection are
approximately ten feet across and a dozen feet high that opens responsible for the creation of the Dregs; instead of living
to both the docks (see Location 9: The Docks) and the Imperial inside the town, they created their homes within the shadow of
Road (see Location 5: Main Road). The doors are always open Mittleresdorf ’s walls. These small houses tend to be shoddily built,
during the day and monitored by two members of the Watch, who though functional enough for the farmers that live in them.
stand on either side of the entrance. At night, the gate is closed Due to their location, the Dregs tend to be more susceptible to the
and secured by way of two large wooden logs that are slid into elements. On rainy days, the dirt soon turns to a morass of mud. In
place. Visitors can be admitted to town by rousing a member of winter, the mud hardens to a consistency almost as impenetrable as
the Watch, who can let them in through a smaller door set within the stone walls. The worst offence for its few residents, however, is the
the gate. practically palpable stench that arises from the area during the summer
For information on the Watch, see the sidebar on page 25. months—an unfortunate effect from the lack of proper sewage
facilities. It is this last indignity that earned the Dregs its name.
2. The Market
5. Main Road
The Mittleresdorf market is a large open area near the centre of
town where trading occurs. On most days of the week only a few Although it is considered an Imperial road, it has been some time
dedicated souls will be found here, selling food, trinkets, and since the main road leading to Mittleresdorf has seen any kind of
sundries from a few scattered stalls. Every Levyday and Kingday, maintenance. In a few places the track is no more than a parallel
however, the Mittleresdorf market is a hive of activity, as farmers set of ruts, almost completely overgrown by weeds and grass. The
and merchants alike come out in droves to sell their wares. As road follows the River Sol along its entire length. To the north, the
might be expected, the market busiest shortly after the harvest. road leads to Wissenburg and then Nuln; to the south, it sputters
The area is almost entirely deserted at night. to a halt somewhere in the Black Mountains.

3. South Gate 6. The Merry Halfling

The south gate looks out on the southern fields and the Dregs, Although there are a number of inns within Mittleresdorf, the
and people travelling to and from those destinations use it most Merry Halfling stands head and shoulders above the others. This
often. It looks the same as the main gate, except it does not have is due in no small part to the fact that the proprietors are not one,
a smaller, inset door and only one member of the Watch guards it but two merry Halflings, Anja and Karl Kettlebrew. In addition to
by day. At night, the gate is closed and barred; visitors who arrive mouth-watering meals, the Kettlebrews also provide better than
after nightfall must enter through the main gate. adequate lodgings, with beds in the private rooms that are actually
quite comfortable.

23

For Love or Money

The inn is easy to find, as it is located near the main gate; its 10. Ferry
namesake can clearly be seen on the painted, swinging sign, sitting
on a rock enjoying a sausage. Although it is infrequently utilized, there is a ferry that can shuttle
passengers to the eastern bank of the River Sol by way of a sturdy
7. Farmers’ Gate rope that is allowed to drop below the water’s surface when not in
use. Travellers approaching Mittleresdorf from the east side of the
Unlike the larger main and south gates, the farmers’ gate is a river will need to shout across until they catch the attention of the
simple, reinforced wooden door that opens amidst the fields ferryman; no one is stationed at that end.
surrounding the town. It is not guarded, although it is locked The fare is 1 p “per leg” either direction; carts and especially laden
come evening time; only residents are permitted to own or make horses are 1 s each.
copies of the key.
11. Fields
8. The Lords and Ladies
The fields that supply Mittleresdorf with its food are spread
Although no actual lords or ladies live within the palatial out to a distance of over a mile outside the town. During the
homes that are found within this section of town, some of the day, a good portion of the fields will be alive with activity,
“common” folk (pretty much anyone below the merchant class) with farmers either getting ready to plant, planting, pulling
didn’t take kindly to the wealthier citizens setting themselves weeds, or harvesting the fruits of their planting. Night is much
apart from the rest of the town. In their view, the folks who less active, although it is not altogether uncommon to find
settled there must consider themselves a better class of people farmers diligently chasing away any rodents who threaten their
than everyone else—which was sometimes true—and so the livelihood.
commoners began to refer to the area as they would members of
the gentry. 12/13. Smith’s Body / Bandits’ Cave
Over time, the bad blood directed at those who lived in the area
died down, but the name stuck. Both of these plot-specific locations can be placed wherever you
prefer. The bandits’ cave should be about a day’s journey north-
9. The Docks northeast of Mittleresdorf, and the smithy’s body anywhere along a
path between the cave and the town.
Exactly two piers make up the Mittleresdorf docks. There had been Both the smith and the cave will be discussed in more detail
a third, but it was so infrequently used that it was allowed to fall within the context of the adventure.
into disrepair. It’s rare that there are more than two boats docked
here at any one time. The ferry docks here, when not in use.

— Part One: The Merchant’s Daughter —

If this is the first scenario for your adventuring party and they Welcome!
need a few reasons why they have set off together, or if they
simply need a reason to be out in the wilds of the Wissenland, here The adventurers should have no trouble spotting the members
are a few hooks you might use to get them on the road: of the Watch—they’re the two young men wearing armour and
• A merchant is making a delivery to Mittleresdorf and stops carrying cudgels at either side of the main gate. Although they
appear to be all business at first glance, one of the two waves and
in the town where the PCs reside. The guards he’d hired breaks into a friendly grin.
spent their advance getting so into their cups that the only While the Watchman who didn’t wave takes care of closing the
thing they could protect is a privy. The merchant finds the gate for the night, his companion requests a shilling per person
PCs and hires them as fill-ins. to enter in order to “finance the maintenance of the walls.” There
• The PCs headed south after the Storm of Chaos, as it seems is also a charge of 5 shillings for each cart or heavily laden horse.
a whole lot safer than the northern provinces. Without prompting, the friendly Watchman will say to the group,
• One of the PCs has a relative in Mittleresdorf who is ill and “It being toward the evening, chances are you’ll be seeking a warm
requires their assistance; similarly, the relative could have bed, a hot meal, or a bit of both. Either way, you’d be well served at
just died and the player stands to inherit. the Merry Halfling, right down the road.” Should they ask, he’ll
• The PCs have offended a noble in their home town and point out the way and tell them which sign to look for.
need a place to lay low.
• The PCs have been following a suspected cultist; the trail Room at the Inn
has grown cold a few days outside the town.
• The PCs are actually looking to join the bandits, but need By the time they arrive at the Merry Halfling, there are already a
to discover where they’re holed up. dozen people either waiting for or in the process of eating their
Regardless of how and for whatever reasons the adventurers got meals. The dining room is rather modest, and the sounds of
there, they should arrive at the main gate of Mittleresdorf near overlapping conversation create a din that makes listening to more
dusk. than one conversation impossible.

24

For Love or Money

No sooner do the characters get a good glimpse of the place than
Anja Kettlebrew, who is tending bar, tells them to grab an empty
table.
There is an empty table near the entrance to the kitchen, which
the adventurers can grab. Depending on whom you want the party
to interact with first, you can place Ned, Louis, or Grod at an
adjacent table. Bertram is leaning on the bar, keeping a casual eye
on the entrance. He’ll make a mental note of the PCs as they are
seated, but then turn his attention back to the door.
Not long after they’ve taken their seats, Karl Kettlebrew will come
out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.
Karl greets the PCs enthusiastically. “Oh, visitors! It’s so very nice to
have visitors. You’ll be wanting to have dinner, then, yes? Of course,
why else would you be sitting down? So, drinks then? Ah, well you
would have asked Anja for those already, wouldn’t you’ve? Right, so
dinner, drinks, what else? Will you be staying the night, then?”
Lodging is reasonably priced at 1 gc per person for a two-person
room, and includes both breakfast and dinner. Lunch is an
additional 6 p, and fine alcohols are available for below-market
rates.

At the Merry Halfling

Being the most popular inn in town, the Merry Halfling gets
more than its share of colourful characters. Those in attendance
the night the adventurers arrive are described here, as are the
Kettlebrews. These characters can be used in further adventures if
desired.

Grod Thunderfist The Watch

Grod is in Mittleresdorf on business—he’s trying to recruit anyone Most members of the Watch are young men who are either not
willing to risk their skins for a few crowns to travel with him back needed in the fields or are sons of a merchant family who are
to the embattled Dwarfen city of Zhufbar. It turns out that not serving in order to garner some “real world experience.” Since they
many people have been willing to take up the mission, since gold only rarely have to draw their weapons in anger, they tend to be
will be of little use when they’ve been slaughtered by Greenskins. friendly with outsiders until they are given reason to act otherwise.
Naturally, Grod is a bit discouraged, but he’s not about to go back
empty-handed. Typical Watchman
The Dwarf has been in his share of battles, and looks it. Aside
from the battle scars that decorate the majority of his extremities, Career: Watchman
he also has a sizeable bald patch on the back of his head—the Race: Human
result of losing part of his scalp.
Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

Grod Thunderfist 30% 30% 33% 31% 30% 31% 28% 30%

Career: Shieldbreaker Secondary Profile
Race: Dwarf
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

Main Profile 1 11 3 3 4 0 0 0

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Skills: Academic Knowledge (Law), Common Knowledge (the
Empire), Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Gossip +10%, Intimidate,
45% 30% 32% 42% 26% 33% 32% 25% Perception, Search, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

Secondary Profile Talents: Coolheaded, Disarm, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun,
Sturdy, Very Resilient
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)
2 13 3 4 3 0 4 0 Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Cudgel) and Dagger
Skills: Common Knowledge (Dwarfs), Dodge Blow, Navigation, Trappings: Lantern and Pole, Uniform
Speak Language (Khazalid, Reikspiel), Perception, Scale
Sheer Surface, Shadowing, Trade (Miner)

25

For Love or Money

Free Zhufbar! Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0
It’s possible that your PCs will decide that they’d rather face Weapons: Hand Weapon (Dirk)
longer odds and get paid less in order to help Grod battle the Trappings: Back Pack, Wineskin, Purse with 1 gc and 9 s
Orc and Goblin hordes in Zhufbar, which is a tad outside
the scope of this adventure. If that’s the case, you may want Ned Weiss
Karl or Anja to mention that Grod is not the first Dwarf who
has come through Mittleresdorf in order to find recruits to Ned is one of the town smiths—and unbeknownst to the town
liberate the embattled Dwarfen strongholds—but no one residents, a part-time bandit. Ned stops into the Merry Halfling
who’s left has ever returned. a couple times a week to see if there are any merchants or nobles
If they’re still not deterred, feel free to improvise a reason for who have recently arrived or are getting ready to leave town. In
Grod to remain in town long enough for the PCs to take on either case, he tries to engage them in “friendly conversation” in
Bertram’s little “errand.” He could come down with an illness order to glean whether or not they are worth waylaying when
(a viscious hangover, perhaps?), be waiting for equipment to they get outside the city.
be repaired, and so on. When this turns out to be the case, he heads out to the bandit
If they do go off with Grod, it’s time to get out the graph cave that same evening in order to give Rudiger the information.
paper and starting mapping. Zhufbar is a big place. Ned always makes certain to be back at his forge before the
ambush is sprung, lest his role in the attack be revealed. Thus,
Talents: Coolheaded, Dwarfcraft, Grudge-born Fury, Night he portrays himself as more simple than he is; he is constantly
Vision, Orientation, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, making mental notes about those with whom he speaks.
Strike to Stun, Sturdy Ned is young and physically fit, with a thick scruff of blonde hair.
He tends to wear his leather apron even when not at his shop, and
Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Coat, Helmet, Full Leather he is perpetually smudged with soot. His only other distinguishing
Armour) feature is a tattoo of a gold crown being pierced by an arrow over
his left breast—the mark of the bandits.
Armour Points: Head 3, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 3
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Axe), Dagger, and Shield Ned Weiss
Trappings: Map of Worlds Edge Mountains, purse with 10 gc
Career: Tradesman
Race: Human

Louis LaCroix Main Profile

Louis is visiting for as much pleasure as he can afford to purchase WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
with other people’s money. If it involves a vice, Louis is interested;
if it involves more than one, Louis ranks them in order of priority. 27% 33% 41% 30% 26% 32% 29% 28%
Although he fancies himself a lover and not a fighter, in truth he
is not much of either—he will quickly turn tail if he senses that he Secondary Profile
can’t bluff his way out of a tight spot.
The Bretonnian is tall, dark, and handsome enough if the light is A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
right. He dresses as a fop, but a close look at his clothes reveals that
they are beginning to be threadworn. 1 13 4 3 4 0 1 0

Louis LaCroix Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (the Empire), Drive,
Gossip, Haggle, Evaluate, Perception, Read/Write, Secret
Career: Rogue Language (Guild Tongue), Trade (Merchant, Smith), Speak
Race: Human Language (Reikspiel)

Main Profile Talents: Dealmaker, Hardy, Very Strong
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Hammer)
Trappings: Leather Apron, Purse with 7 gc

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Bertram Bediensteter

32% 26% 33% 29% 36% 38% 34% 38% Although he poses as Bela Dustermann’s servant, Bertram is
actually his good friend. While Bela has concentrated on the
Secondary Profile magical arts, Bertram stuck with what he knows best: physical
violence. Although he has learned restraint during his travels with
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Bela, it takes precious little to enrage him.
Bertram looks every inch the dour man he is. He does not smile,
1 11 3 2 4 0 1 0 and there are frown lines permanently etched on his face. He is a
bit taller than average, with a stocky frame. Since he also happens
Skills: Blather, Charm, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia), to be a killer, there is very little that scares him. This includes the
Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip +10%, Perception, Performer adventurers.
(Storyteller), Search, Secret Language (Thieves’ Tongue),
Speak Language (Breton, Reikspiel)

Talents: Acute Hearing, Flee!, Luck, Public Speaking, Sixth
Sense

26

For Love or Money

Bertram Bediensteter

Career: Protagonist (ex-Pit Fighter)
Race: Human

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

47% 34% 40% 41% 42% 30% 39% 34%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

2 14 4 4 4 0 4 0

Skills: Common Knowledge (the Empire), Dodge Blow, Gossip,
Haggle, Intimidate, Ride, Speak Language (Reikspiel)

Talents: Disarm, Menacing, Resistance to Poison, Specialist
Weapon Group (Flail, Parrying, Two-handed), Street
Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Strike to
Stun, Strong-minded, Very Strong

Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt, Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Buckler, Dagger
Trappings: Purse with 5 gc

The Kettlebrews Talents: Dealmaker, Lightning Reflexes, Night Vision, Resistance
to Chaos, Specialist Weapon Group (Sling), Super
Anja and Karl Kettlebrew met over a decade ago when they were Numerate
both trying their hands as adventurers away from the Moot.
Neither of them had been very successful, and each had decided Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)
separately that it was probably time to return back to their Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0
homeland. They decided to keep each other company on their Weapons: Dagger, Crossbow (beneath bar)
return journey, but something funny happened on the way to Trappings: 10 bolts, Purse with 11 gc
the Moot—they never arrived. As they travelled, Karl discovered
that Anja enjoyed brewing, while she discovered that he was an Karl Kettlebrew
excellent cook. They conspired to open an inn together, and fate
conspired for them to fall in love. They settled in Mittleresdorf, Career: Innkeeper (ex-Servant)
as it was close to the Moot but not too close, opened the Merry Race: Halfling
Halfling, and have been the proprietors of the best inn in town
ever since. Main Profile
Anja and Karl both look like typical Halflings and have similar
characteristics. Anja almost always has a mug in one hand or the WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
other, while Karl is almost always wearing an apron upon which he
is constantly wiping his hands.

Anja Kettlebrew 25% 51% 20% 23% 52% 35% 45% 53%

Career: Merchant (ex-Tradesman) Secondary Profile
Race: Halfling
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

Main Profile 1 11 2 2 4 0 1 0

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Blather,
Charm, Common Knowledge (The Empire, Halflings),
20% 41% 21% 30% 64% 42% 40% 60% Dodge Blow, Evaluate, Gossip +10%, Haggle, Perception,
Read/Write, Search, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language
Secondary Profile (Halfling, Reikspiel), Trade (Cook +20%)

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Talents: Acute Hearing, Etiquette, Lightning Reflexes, Night
Vision, Resistance to Chaos, Specialist Weapon Group
19234000 (Sling), Suave

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry), Animal Care, Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin)
Charm, Common Knowledge (Halflings), Drive, Evaluate, Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0
Gossip, Haggle, Perception, Read/Write, Secret Language Weapons: Hand Weapon (Kitchen Cleaver)
(Guild Tongue), Speak Language (Halfling, Reikspiel), Trappings: Good Quality Clothing, Purse with 10 gc
Trade (Brewer +10%, Cook, Merchant)

27

For Love or Money

Meeting the Locals is bleeding from what appears to be a serious scalp wound. He
quickly scans the room and locks his eyes on Bertram.
If the PCs do not make an effort to meet some of the NPCs “You!” he yells as he heads directly for the man. “Your master sent us
beforehand, one of your choosing will casually saunter over on a fool’s errand! We went into those woods and they slaughtered us to
to them when they have neared the end of their meal. If you a man! Now you’ll pay!” With that, the boy takes out his dagger and
decide to use Louis, the Bretonnian will pull up a chair next to brandishes it in Bertram’s direction.
any female character (if there are no females, he’ll sit next to Bertram has no retort to the accusation—he simply unsheathes
whomever doesn’t look too threatening). Louis will be happy the sword that’s strapped to his back. Wil is too young and too
to wax rhapsodic about his many varied adventures, such as the hot under the collar to know that he’s hopelessly outmatched. He
time he outran a band of Imperial cavalry whilst mounted on feints once, twice, and then moves in to strike. If the adventurers
an elephant. All of Monsieur LaCroix’s tales are exaggerated in decide not to interfere, Bertram dodges out of the way of the
this fashion, and he is an expert improviser, able to concoct a attack, and leaves a bloody slice on Wil’s chest.
plot element that explains a rather unbelievable part of his story Within the next minute, Bertram will connect two more times,
with something even more ludicrous. At the same time he will the latter hit bringing Wil to his knees. Bertram lifts his blade
be trying to get into the pants of any of the females of the group for the killing blow but is interrupted by Karl before he can let it
and onto the bar tab of anyone else. fall. “Bertram, wait!” the Halfling shouts. “The boy didn’t know any
Ned is more genuinely friendly than LaCroix—but only because better! Leave him be!” The servant pauses, his blade ready to make
he sees the PCs as a potential boost to his definitely-illicit its final stroke, and then he puts the weapon up.
income. He is willing to speak to the adventurers about the town If the PCs do interfere, Karl will interrupt the fight in the same
in general and his business in particular. If any of the PCs are in fashion almost as soon as one of the adventurers brings out his or
the market for new equipment, or have metal armour or weapons her weapon. Either way, no one should be dying at this point.
in need of repair, Ned will gladly give them the location of his “You’re right, as always, Karl.” Bertram notes. “Someone better run
shop. He can also provide information on the Kettlebrews (“Nice for the surgeon.” Ned leaps out of his chair at the suggestion—for
folks; wouldn’t think of having dinner out anywhere else.”), Bertram accompanying the surgeon will allow him to find out how much
(“Herr Dustermann’s man. Doesn’t talk much.”), and Grod (“Ever Wil’s friends were able to find out before they were attacked.
heard of Zhufbar? You will before the night’s over.”). He doesn’t
know very much about Louis, since he’s not been in town very Outside Services Required
long, but he does know that he talks about himself loudly and
often. Bertram studies the scene for a moment, as if to ensure that no
Grod doesn’t even bother taking a seat before starting his pitch. one else is about to come at him, then puts away his sword, picks
Read the following to your players: up his mug, and walks to the PCs’ table. “My apologies for that,”
he begins. “It’s not very proper, shedding blood in front of visitors,
“You look like a fearsome band,” he says. “It’s hardy especially on their first evening in our town. Still, you don’t seem the
folk like you that we need in order to rid Zhufbar of types that are sensitive to the sight. And it would appear that my
the Greenskins. If it’s money you’re looking for, we’ll master still requires outside services to help him retrieve what he’s lost.
gladly pay it. If it’s danger you crave, we’ll give it to you Would you be interested?”
in abundance. If it’s the greater good you’re lookin’ to Chances are good your PCs will want Bertram to explain exactly
support, you’ll find no good greater than this one. Are ye what it is he’s talking about, but Herr Bediensteter will give out
up for it?” precious few details. He will tell them that his employer is Bela
Dustermann, a respected noble in Mittleresdorf who is seeking the
Prolonged discussion on the topic will reveal that Grod is heavy reacquisition of an item that he’s lost. Should they accept the job,
on the passion, but light on the details. There’s no real plan to his master will pay them 20 gold crowns; should they return the
retake Zhufbar, per se, other than simply throwing waves of item, they will be paid an additional 100 gc.
fighters at the enemy. And though he promises the PCs that Whether or not the party shows interest, Bertram promises that he
they’ll be paid 100 gold crowns each, he only has 10 gc on his will return to the inn the next morning. “I must tell my master the
person. If the characters refuse him outright, he’ll be visibly news immediately. Until tomorrow.”
dejected, and will ask what brings the adventurers to town. If Not soon after, the surgeon arrives and takes Wil away for care.
the characters show interest, he’ll tell them of all the wonders He will not allow his patient to be questioned until “after he’s been
Zhufbar has to offer (which currently is not much, unless you’re sewn up.”
a Dwarf ). Most of the other patrons will decide to call it a night at this
Bertram does not approach the characters, and will answer in as point, but the PCs can still find out some information about
few syllables as necessary whatever questions they might have. Bertram’s employer: Bela Dustermann is indeed both a noble and
Until… respected, the offer Bertram made is indeed genuine, and the item
in question is something personal that the PCs would be better off
Pardon the Interruption asking Herr Dustermann about.
The rest of the evening passes without incident (unless, of course,
After a few minutes of conversation, the door opens with a bang. your PCs create one).
Standing in the doorway is Wil, a local youth who has obviously
seen better days. He’s sopping wet, his clothes are torn, and he

28

For Love or Money

Guten Tag Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Dirk)
The next morning, Bertram is already polishing off the remnants Trappings: Two Grimoires, Good Quality Clothing, Purse with 100 gc
of his breakfast when the PCs arise. Should they be ready to accept
the offer of employment, he will give them the advance on the The First “Truth”
spot and lead the group to Dustermann’s house.
Once they’ve sat down, Dustermann will hand them their drinks,
How the Other Half Lives stand next to the fireplace, and begin his tale. Read the following
to the players:
Herr Dustermann’s house is relatively modest for someone of his
station. It is two storeys tall, has about 3,000 square feet of space “Thank you for coming. Bertram mentioned that he
in the interior, and sits on about a quarter acre of land. thought you would be quite able to complete my little task.
Bertram opens the locks on the gate and the front door himself. I would not have sent those young boys to do men’s work,
The door opens into the receiving room, which is easily the largest but I’m afraid I didn’t have much choice. It’s my daughter,
room in the entire house. From here there is a door on the left, you see. She’s run off.”
which leads to the kitchen and dining area, and a door on the right
that leads to Dustermann’s private study. The room is completely The majority of what Dustermann tells the party at this point is
open to the second floor; a set of steps leads to a balcony that true: his daughter, Julianne, has run away to be with a man she
encircles the entire room. PCs who are from far away areas of the calls the love of her life, Rudiger Kaltblut, the leader of a group
Empire may spot a few objects d’art from their region. Clearly, of bandits who have been preying on travellers to and from
Herr Dustermann has been well travelled. Mittleresdorf for several years. Dustermann says that he suspected
Bertram tells the adventurers to wait and quietly slips into the his daughter simply had a case of puppy love, which she would
study. He returns soon after and asks them to go in. eventually have gotten over. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of
The study runs the entire length of this side of the house. The expressly forbidding her to see the man ever again—she ran off the
room has a fireplace, a desk, a sideboard, a number of chairs, and same night he issued his ultimatum.
many, many bookshelves. Bela Dustermann is already pouring All of this is true, but Dustermann is leaving out some important
a wine of distinguished vintage into as many cups as there are parts: Julianne is not his daughter, and is transforming into less
members of the party, plus one for himself. He breaks into a of one with every passing minute. He is running out of time to
nervous grin, and motions them to the seats. get her under control before the band of Skaven he cut a deal
with show up to collect their debt. Dustermann will play off his
Bela Dustermann nervousness as fear for his daughter, but it is the threat the Skaven
pose that keeps him up nights.
Herr Dustermann looks every inch the middle-aged noble. He has
black hair going grey at the temples, a face that is growing more
angular with age, and a belly that is going to flab. It’s clear that he
has lost a step or two physically, but his mind is still mercilessly
acute. Dustermann is normally very calculating and patient, but
current circumstances have made him a touch nervous.

Bela Dustermann

Career: Journeyman Wizard (ex-Apprentice Wizard)
Race: Human

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

29% 27% 25% 36% 34% 50% 57% 30%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

1 13 2 3 4 2 7 0

Skills: Academic Knowledge (Daemonology, Magic +10%),
Channelling, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia, the
Empire), Gossip, Magical Sense, Perception, Read/Write,
Search, Speak Arcane Language (Magick), Speak Language
(Classical, Dark Tongue, Reikspiel)

Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Coolheaded, Dark Lore (Chaos),
Dark Magic, Petty Magic (Arcane), Savvy, Strong-minded

Armour: None

29

For Love or Money

Keeping the Lies Straight Making the Deal

Here are other pertinent details that Dustermann can dole out, If the PCs seem noncommittal, Dustermann will give them an
should the PCs pursue a particular line of questioning: advance of 20 gold crowns. Should a particularly fair-minded
player point out that they’ve already been given an advance,
• Wil and his friends were the first to attempt to locate the bandits. Dustermann will act distracted and note, “Well, you sort seem to
• Dustermann does not take Bertram and go to find the bandits be experienced, and perhaps you could teach Rudiger that love does
indeed hurt.” Should the PCs exploit the opportunity, they’ll be
himself because he believes Rudiger would be able to kill the able to get yet another 10 gc out of the noble—but only after they
two of them easily. pledge to do the job.
• This is also why he hasn’t asked for the Watch’s assistance. Should the PCs’ mercenary instincts get the best of them at this
• Dustermann can show the PCs a portrait. juncture, Dustermann does very little to defend himself from
• Most everyone in town thinks that the bandits are in the woods attack other than trying to put furniture between himself and the
to the northeast of town, but nobody has ever been able to find adventurers. Instead, he cries out to Bertram, who immediately
them. Asking around town is probably the best bet. retrieves the Watch. The PCs will be summarily arrested and
• Dustermann is originally from Middenheim; perhaps they’ve thrown in jail. Should you not wish for the entire adventure to
heard of the Middenheim Dustermanns? (The Dustermann fall off the rails at this point, Dustermann can “assume” that the
family fell into disrepute due to Bela’s activities; they left PCs were proving their martial prowess and promise to drop
Middenheim the same year their son did. The PCs will have the charges against them—as long as they swear to retrieve his
never heard of them.) daughter (at a reduced rate, of course).
• Dustermann used to be an adventurer like the PCs; he settled Once an agreement is made, Dustermann looks relieved. He
in Mittleresdorf a few years ago and now trades rare books. informs the group that Bertram will stop in to the Merry Halfling
• Julianne most certainly had friends in town, but Dustermann every evening until they’ve returned. For propriety’s sake, they will
never really knew them that well. He believes she knew the hand over Julianne to him there.
town apothecary, Dasha Malatova. After the details are worked out, Dustermann will call Bertram
• Dustermann believes that his neighbours suspect something back in. As his servant is opening the front door, Dustermann
is amiss, but he is trying to keep his current misfortune under speaks to them once again. “Thank you for your help. I’m confident
wraps—he’d prefer word not get out that his daughter ran off you can do this. But please hurry. I have the feeling something terrible
because he couldn’t keep his attention off his books. is going to happen to my daughter.”
• The sooner the PCs get her back, the better. Bertram tells the group that they should know the way back to the
inn, and that he will stop by this evening. He does not wish them
good luck.

— Part Two: Into the Woods —

It is still early in the day when the adventurers finish speaking outmatched from the start—most of them had no armour of any
with Herr Dustermann, so they can begin poking about sort, they mostly used farm implements as hand weapons, and
immediately. They start out with two solid leads: Wil, the most had never done more than get in a few backyard brawls.
only survivor of the previous expedition, and Dasha, the town Despite this, Wil is eager to assist the PCs. The doctor will note
apothecary. that the youth will not be well enough to exert himself for at
least a couple days (“You must be careful with head wounds.”). If
The Headstrong Youth Bertram inflicted any other damage at the Merry Halfling, this
time will be even longer.

The PCs can track down Wil by asking about him directly or by Should the youth’s obvious inexperience not deter the PCs from
asking after the doctor who treated him, an elderly surgeon by the taking him up on his offer, they will likely regret it later. For
name of Johann Stern. The details the youth can provide; however, one thing, Wil almost never shuts up—a nervous habit that will
are a bit sketchier. He and his five friends didn’t do a whole lot of render useless any attempts at stealth. In personal interactions he
information gathering before simply deciding to search the woods can be expected to behave in exactly the wrong way—when the
until they found something. Trouble was, something found them PCs are trying to be persuasive, he’ll be threatening; when trying
first. Their second day in, they were ambushed. to intimidate, he will be fearful. Finally, he is practically useless
Wil never even got a look at his attackers, as they shot at the in a fight and will most likely turn tail when things get tight.
would-be bounty hunters from the cover of the underbrush; If they don’t think to ask of him during their visit, Doctor Stern
he ran for his life when the first volley brought down two of will ask that they thank the smith on his behalf. “Kept the boy’s
compatriots. He will reluctantly admit that he took the blow to mind off the pain, he did, what with all those questions he was
the head as he dove into the river. askin’.” The questions, should they follow up, were all about the
A few questions about his friends and their preparations will bandits: where they attacked, if Wil got a good look at them, and
be all the PCs need to realize that the boys were completely so forth.

30

For Love or Money

The Apothecary The Talk Around Town

Dasha Malatova has been Mittleresdorf ’s apothecary since Regardless of whom the adventurers speak and the order in which
emigrating from Kislev 20 years ago. She is short, verging on they speak to them, they are likely to want to learn about four
stout, with black hair streaked with grey done up in a dishevelled things: the bandits, Julianne Dustermann, her father, and his
bun. Despite her years in town she still has traces of her homeland servant. Many of the NPCs will have specific information about
accent. these topics, but there are some pieces of the puzzle that can be
If the PCs do not ask after Julianne before meeting Dasha, the revealed no matter who the characters are interviewing.
apothecary can tell them all the details noted previously. In You’re free to dole these pieces out as you see fit: all at once, a bit at
addition, she will note that the young woman had come into her a time, or even not at all. They can add a bit of meat to the story,
shop a few days before she had disappeared in order to purchase a but leaving them out can speed matters up considerably if you’d
powder that alleviates nausea. prefer to keep things at a brisk pace.
She will not think of it unless the PCs ask, but Dasha will
remember that Herr Dustermann had asked her for something The Bandits
to help him sleep—he confided that he had occasional bouts of
insomnia and thus he needed a supply that would last him for • They began harassing travellers a couple years ago.
some time. This was not quite a year ago. “I imagine he did not • They are smart—they don’t attack every group of travellers,
have need for more.”
In addition to the information she can provide, Dasha has maybe one out of every three; this makes them more of a
excellent access to herbs and draughts (treat these as one step more nuisance and less of a threat.
common than usual). She does not sell poisons of any sort, as she • They seem to only attack those with ample funds.
does not condone their use. • They may have help in town.
• In fact, Rudiger used to live in town and may have been a
The Missing Smith farmer (no farmer will admit to knowing him, however).

The adventurers will probably be able to tell that something is Bela Dustermann
amiss when they reach the smithy only to find that no one appears
to be minding the store. The door to the barn is open, but there • He arrived in Mittleresdorf about a dozen years ago.
is no fire. It also appears that whoever was here last left in a hurry, • He trades books by appointment only; most collectors
although nothing appears to be missing.
As they are taking in the scene, a bedraggled boy named Todd correspond about items they’re looking for before coming to
comes bursting out of the small house attached to the workplace. inspect them personally.
He is visibly disappointed that the PCs are not who he expected • Every few years, he and Bertram go away for a few months
them to be; after a moment, he brightens again. “Have you seen at a time; he usually returns with some new acquisitions.
him?” • He only brought Julianne to Mittleresdorf a little over a
What the PCs will find out—along with numerous asides from year ago—rumour has it that he adopted her after his own
the boy about how he’s an orphan, how he likes to help Ned even daughter died tragically. No one has any concrete details
though he’s little, how he wishes he had a pony and so on—is about the first daughter (as there isn’t one).
that the smith came back to the forge late last night, packed some
things and ran off toward the main gate. Todd asked Ned where he Julianne Dustermann
was going, only to be told to shut up and go back to sleep. “Then
again, he’s almost always saying that. ‘Shut up, Todd. Don’t touch the • She is sweet, and very polite.
hot iron, Todd. Stop stabbing the frog with a poker, Todd.’ He almost • She is well liked in town by all who know her. Few know
never lets me have any fun.”
Should they poke around a bit, the PCs will note that although her well, however.
most of the weapons are hung on the walls, a few of them have • She is thankful to Bela for taking her away from the
fallen to the ground—as if someone had knocked them over in
their haste to grab one. Shallyan orphanage; she considers him her true father.
The adventurers will be able to find any weapon or shield crafted • She seemed to be a little on edge as of a few weeks ago. She
from metal that is normally common or greater in availability.
Despite Todd’s protests to the contrary, he will be unable to stop and her father were “disagreeing.”
the PCs if they decide to take the items without paying.
Bertram
A Quick Bite for the Road?
• Very little is known about him; he arrived with Bela.
The PCs won’t be able to find anything new by going back to the • He is often seen about town without Bela, but Bela is never
Merry Halfling, as no one there has seen Ned since he left there
seen without Bertram.
• He is practically emotionless, a cold stone. No one is quite

sure what he’s really like, but many are afraid to cross him.

31

For Love or Money

last evening. Should they wait there until evening in order to talk from sight. Once they have gotten closer, the party’s noses will be
to Bertram, he will want to know why they are sitting there and assailed with the stench of blood.
not finding out what happened to Herr Dustermann’s daughter. The scene inside the cave is so gruesome that anyone who enters
Should they want to question him further, Bertram will tell them it must immediately succeed at a Will Power Test or gain one
everything they wish to know (aside from the truth), although his Insanity Point.
aggravation will increase with every question he answers. There are a total of eight corpses in the cave. Half of them look as
All of the other NPCs who were there the prior evening will be there if they were killed while they slept, based on the fact that they are
when the PCs return. Their motivations will not have changed. all lying on pallets and all of them have similar wounds that appear
to have been caused by someone stabbing them with a bladed
We Forgot to Ask... weapon and then twisting the weapon in the wound. Three other
corpses died with weapons in their hands, although all of these
Should the PCs go back to the Dustermann residence when have had their heads removed and thrown against the wall. All of
Bertram is there, he will refuse them entry—they have their task the corpses have the pierced coin tattoo that Ned was sporting.
and they should set to it. If they brazenly attempt to hop the gate The last of the bandits has his head and shoulders stuck in a hole
during broad daylight, the Watch will conveniently notice them. If near the back wall of the cave. Examining the body reveals that
they are stealthy about it and manage to break in, Bertram gets the there is still life in it. This is Rudiger.
Watch as soon as the PCs are detected. Rudiger had the somewhat fortunate timing to have been “making
water” when he heard the screams of his men being attacked. He
Back to the Main Gate rushed back in time to see that half of his men were already dead
and the love of his life was being dragged away. He tried to fight
Sure, the Watch noticed that Ned was leaving in a hurry. “Was sure his way to her, but he was outmanned and outmatched—he took a
jumpy about something. Barely waited for the door to open before he number of wounds before the attackers vanished at the back of the
went running out.” If asked, the Watchman on duty will note that cave. He had managed to discover this hole, but had been unable
he went south along the main road—and he was armed. to go any farther.
The bandit leader is unrepentant about his illegal activities (“We
Wolves to the Slaughter steal from them’s that can afford it.”), but is heartbroken at the loss
of Julianne (“We was to be married”). He did not get a good look at
By this time, the PCs should probably realize that Ned Weiss their attackers, but they were man-sized and made noises the like
might be more than just the town smith. Because of the hurry he of which he’d never heard (“Like a gate with a rusty hinge, they was.
was in, he didn’t do a fantastic job covering his tracks. Anyone Squeakin’.”).
making a successful Easy (+20%) Perception Test will notice that Rudiger will refuse healing if offered (“Gots nothin’ ta live for.”),
someone veered from the path and headed for the river around a and will succumb to his many wounds within a few minutes if he
half-hour south on the Main Road. A successful Routine (+10%) is not treated. Should the party tend to his wounds, he will follow
Follow Trail Test allows Ned to be tracked. along to pay his penance for his life of crime—until the party
The trail does in fact lead to the river, and the PCs will notice a encounters the Skaven. Then he will charge headlong at them
makeshift raft has been pulled up on the opposite bank. The party and promptly be killed. Part of the reason the bandits were so
will have to go back to the Ferry to get across, as the river is too successful was because the majority of them were crack shots. Toe-
powerful to swim. Once on the east side, they will have no problem to-toe combat was never their forte, and proved their undoing.
relocating either the raft or the trail left behind by the smith.
The Tunnels
Too Late!
If the adventurers either examine the hole that Rudiger was
After the adventurers have travelled for a couple hours, they will sticking out of or search the rear section of the cave, they will
begin to hear birds. Soon after, they will discover a half-dozen discover a veritable network of holes that leads to a more carefully
ravens gorging themselves on a corpse that’s lying face down on sculpted series of tunnels. This was how the Skaven were able
the ground. The scavengers have already done quite a job on the to catch the bandits unawares. If asked, Rudiger will say that he
body, but it’s obvious that it’s the smith. It’s also apparent that the thinks he saw Julianne disappear into the hole he subsequently
jagged sword blade protruding from his back was probably what collapsed in.
killed him.
Anyone searching the body will find two things of note: a tattoo 1. Murder Holes
and a hastily scribbled note. The tattoo is over his left breast, and
depicts a coin being pierced by an arrow. Only characters with the These four holes are where the Skaven entered the cave to make
Secret Signs (Thief ) skill will be able to read the note, in which their attack. They are quite small, requiring anyone wishing to
are brief descriptions of every member of the party! travel through them to crawl. They will be able to regain their feet
once they get to the main tunnel.
Morr’s Harvest
2. Living Quarters
As they explore the area around the body, the adventurers will
notice that the land gets rockier nearby as it rises into a series of This was where the Skaven slept, ate, and—as the PCs will soon
low foothills. Further investigation (or a successful Perception smell—relieved themselves. The PCs will be unable to determine
Test) will reveal a cave in the foothills that is partially hidden

32

For Love or Money

the nature of the attackers by examining the room, other than the Krudt, their leader, will be waiting with a blade pointing at
fact that they evidently cared little about what they ate or matters Julianne’s throat when the adventurers finally catch up with them.
of personal hygiene. However, a little bit of poking about reveals a The three other Skaven will try to use the cover to their advantage,
vial that has been recently drained. This was Julianne’s last nausea but they do not have the advantage of surprise here.
curative. It is entirely possible the PCs have never encountered Skaven
before. If this is the case, play up the horror of seeing such man-
3. Trap sized ratmen and make each character take a Will Power Test or
gain an Insanity Point. Remember, most folk in the Empire think
The Skaven knew that their hideout would eventually be found, the Skaven are but a legend.
and so rigged this particular section to collapse on top of the When the PCs come into sight, the Skaven leader tightens his grip
unwary. The trap was not meant to kill (although it is certainly on his prize and threatens her with the knife. The PCs can clearly
possible it will have that effect)—merely to give the rat-men time see that she’s not in fantastic shape: she stands with an effort and
to intercept any intruders. her face appears to be wracked with pain.
Each member of the party must succeed at a Perception Test “You follow. Why?” Krudt will ask. If the PCs point out that
upon passing this section (for the sake of surprise, you should the Skaven is currently holding the reason, the Skaven will be
make this roll in secret). The first character to fail the roll has downright petulant. “Ours. Ours! Promised, promised to us!” Further
sprung the trap, causing a large amount of rocks and dirt to fall discussion on this point will not yield much more detail, as Krudt
upon both him and the people immediately in front and back of continues to suggest that Julianne is their rightful property. “He
him, if any. promised. One year! One year now! We take!”
The character who triggered the trap may make an Agility Test to If the party seems more intent on talking then fighting, Krudt
jump out of the way of the falling debris; adjacent characters make will be happy to oblige until the rest of the Skaven are in place,
a Routine (+10%) Agility Test. Failure results in the character(s) and then he attacks. If the party spots the other Skaven moving
taking a Damage 3 hit. Affected characters are also pinned and into position, they will attack immediately, shooting with their
must be dug out by their compatriots. slings, and then switching to hand weapons. Krudt will not
intentionally harm Julianne under any circumstances—she’s far
4. Exit too valuable.
Should the party let them go, Krudt will take Julianne and the rest
The exit to the other side of the foothills has been partially of his party back to his Skaven brethren. Julianne will undergo her
collapsed in order to slow down pursuit. The PCs will see that transformation and will make the adventurers regret their choice at
there are a few gaps near the top of the spill, and should be able to some point in the future.
remove enough rubble to climb out in about an hour or so.
Krudt, Ratman Leader
Meeting the Enemy
Krudt looks a typical Skaven: about 5½ tall and covered with
As the PCs will soon find out, Julianne makes travelling at any brown fur. He was there when Bela and the other Skaven made
pace faster than a walk almost impossible and stealth completely the deal that has led to Julianne Dustermann’s current state,
out of the question. So the adventurers should have no problems but he doesn’t know enough Reikspiel in order to explain the
either following the trail the Skaven left behind or catching up to situation. In any case, getting Julianne back to his superior is his
them over the course of the next day. primary goal.
However, the Skaven are being mindful of pursuit, and will
prepare themselves once they sense the party is getting close.

33

For Love or Money

Secondary Profile
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP
1 13 3 4 5 0 0 0

Skills: Command, Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail,
Navigation, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Scale Sheer
Surface, Shadowing, Silent Move, Speak Language (Queekish,
Reikspiel), Specialist Weapon Group (Sling, Throwing), Swim

Talents: Night Vision, Mighty Shot, Rapid Reload, Tunnel Rat
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Shield, Sling, 4 Throwing Stars
Trappings: 10 Sling stones

Skaven Warriors (3)

None of the other Skaven in this group speaks Reikspiel. They are
each between 5 and 6 feet tall with brown or black fur and filthy
leather armour.

Skaven Warriors

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

30% 25% 30% 30% 40% 25% 25% 15%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

Krudt 19335000

Career: Sneak Skills: Concealment, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Scale
Race: Skaven Sheer Surface, Silent Move, Speak Language (Queekish),
Specialist Weapon Group (Sling), Swim
Main Profile
Talents: Night Vision, Tunnel Rat
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0
38% 40% 34% 41% 42% 33% 30% 20% Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Sling
Trappings: 10 Sling stones

— Part Three: The Beast Revealed —

Once the Skaven are dealt with, the PCs will notice something The frightened girl, in her infrequent bouts of lucidity, claims that she
quite disturbing: Julianne appears to be in the late stages and Rudiger never consummated their love for each other. Healing her
of pregnancy. In fact, they may even believe that she is in the will provide her some respite from the pain, but she is too far along in
early stages of labour, since she will scream out in pain at regular her change to be saved. She refuses anyone who wants to do more than
intervals. The actual cause of this is the final transformation that is a cursory examination, which would yield nothing in any case.
changing her from a humanoid into a powerful Chaos beast.
The Way Home
Wrong Room
Allowing Julianne to walk will slow the party down considerably,
If the party goes back to the Merry Halfling, a Skaven will break as she will be overcome by nausea every 15 to 20 minutes. In this
into their room (or the room containing the fewest of them, if case, the journey back will take two days (one to the cave and one
they’re in more than one) through a window, looking for Julianne. to the river). Carrying her will be the quicker, cutting off about
“Where she? Where?” Once it’s clear that she’s not there, the half a day. Unfortunately, the character stuck with the unpleasant
Skaven will draw its sword, look at who it’s facing, then decide duty of slinging Julianne over his shoulder will have to endure her
against it. Should they chase it, the Skaven will lead them to the screams and bouts of vomiting.
Dustermann estate, where the assault will have already begun. Go Meanwhile, the remainder of the Skaven band soon discovers the
straight to the Skirmish on the Steps. remains of Krudt and the others. Their leader, Slerd, was prepared for
this eventuality; he plans on taking the other 7 members of his group,
sneaking into town after nightfall, and taking Julianne by force.

34

For Love or Money

Other Possibilities

Like as not, your party will do something not covered within the boundaries of this adventure. While a certain improvisational skill will
help in most situations, here are a few likely actions your party could take, and a suggestion to deal with it:
• If the party decides not to go to the Merry Halfling when they get back and go directly to the Dustermann residence, assume that

Bertram is just then on his way to the inn. Bela can burst out of the door after his servant meets with the adventurers.
• Should they not accept Herr Dustermann’s offer to guard his house for the evening, a single Skaven will visit them once they’ve gone to

sleep for the night. Further details on this encounter will be found in the Wrong Room section on page 34.
• If the party suggests that maybe they should bring the doctor to treat Julianne, Bela will look as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him

before, but then hail it as a fine idea. The good doctor will be the first unfortunate victim after Julianne’s transformation.
• There’s still no real evidence of wrongdoing on Bela’s part (aside perhaps from consorting with Skaven), so if the party were to attack

Herr Dustermann openly at this point, the Watch would show up as described earlier.
• If any member of the party wants to defend the house from the inside, Bela will not object; however, he expects them to stay out of

his chambers so he can concentrate on his work.

The Second “Truth” potion, as a message to me. I can create an antidote, but I must be
quick.”
Bertram will be waiting for the adventurers at the Merry Before he goes back into his house, Dustermann has another
Halfling. He will briefly check Julianne to ensure that she hadn’t thought: Perhaps the adventurers could defend his house? The
taken any wounds, give the party the remainder of their gold, Skaven are not likely to give up easily, and may assault the estate in
and then carry the girl off to Bela. In all likelihood, the PCs will some numbers. Dustermann does not want Watch involvement,
have a few choice questions for Herr Dustermann, questions that as they are likely to want answers to questions he does not want to
Bertram has no patience to answer. He’ll bid them to come along waste time answering, and they are not as skilled as the adventurers
if they like. in any case. He will offer them double what they’ve already made for
Once they get inside the gate of the Dustermann estate, the master just this night’s work. This time, however, there is no deposit—the
of the house will come bursting out the front door and take his PCs have to make certain the Dustermanns survive through the
daughter from Bertram. His relief is genuine, although not for the night.
reasons the adventurers may think.
Should they tell him about what Krudt had said, Bela will look Endgame
shocked, and then ashamed. Read the following to the players:
Unbeknownst to Bela, the Skaven have snuck into Mittleresdorf a
“They have come? I never expected … but I should have number of times in order to study his house and how they might
known. What the beast told you was indeed what I told him. get into it. They come into the city by breaking down the Farmer’s
Bertram and I had gone travelling to bring my daughter to Gate and leaving two of their number to distract the Watch by
my home when the creatures waylaid us. They threatened alternately fighting and leading them on a merry chase through
to kill all of us…but I was able to strike a bargain. I had most of the north-western part of town.
heard of these animals before, and I knew that if I were to Slerd and the rest of the band will study how the adventurers have
offer them something they could use we might all escape with themselves placed around the house. If he notices that they are
our skins. So … I lied. I have some skill in crafting potions bunched together in any particular area, he will send three of his
and … other draughts, and I promised them a brew that number against them, then break into the house from the opposite
would increase their strength and stamina. I told them that side.
the ingredients are quite rare, and that I would need a year
to create a single batch, and that I would demonstrate how Skirmish on the Steps
it could be made. Of course, I had no intention of doing
any such thing, but now I fear they mean to collect the debt. Slerd has brought a total of seven other Skaven with him for his
If my love-sick daughter hadn’t run off with that ruffian, I assault (all of which use the stats provided previously). Two have
might not have known they were near.” been left to distract the Watch, and he sends another three against
the greatest number of adventurers. This leaves him with two, not
Bela will beg off further questions, saying that he has to tend including himself.
to his daughter’s illness. If they ask about the “pregnancy,” Depending on the number of PCs and their state after their
Herr Dustermann will assure them that she is most definitely previous encounter with Skaven, you may wish to adjust the
not pregnant, and that the Skaven more than likely “gave her a number of foes in the final battle. The goal of this scene is not the
slaughter of the PCs.

35

For Love or Money

Slerd is more cunning than the average Skaven, and has a number
of bare patches in his fur to prove that he’s battle-tested as well. He
intends to take Julianne and slay Bela or die in the attempt.

Slerd, Ratman Commander

Career: Sneak
Race: Skaven

Main Profile

WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel

44% 31% 39% 45% 47% 35% 27% 25%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP

2 12 3 4 5 0 0 0

Skills: Command, Concealment, Outdoor Survival, Perception,
Scale Sheer Surface, Shadowing, Silent Move, Scale Sheer
Surface, Speak Language (Queekish, Reikspiel), Specialist
Weapon Group (Sling, Throwing), Swim

Talents: Night Vision, Mighty Shot, Rapid Reload, Sure Shot,
Tunnel Rat

Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt, Helmet, Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 2, Arms 1, Body 3, Legs 0
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword), Shield, 4 Throwing Stars
Trappings: Map of Dustermann’s house

If the PCs have not totally committed themselves against the three
Skaven Slerd sent at them in two rounds, he will lead a charge
against the stragglers, hoping to overrun them. With superiority in
numbers, it’s almost a certainty that the Skaven leader and some
of his entourage will gain the house—where they will run into
Bertram.

If the PCs have completely taken the bait, they will hear two
things that will draw their attention back to the house: breaking
glass and a high-pitched scream. Should that not get them moving,
they will hear the sound of steel on steel a couple of rounds later.

When they get into the house, they will see that Bertram is doing
his best to hold off Slerd and his followers (indeed, he should
bring down at least one of their number), but he is being steadily
forced back up the steps. As the adventurers move toward the
steps, Julianne will scream again. This only motivates the Skaven,
who press Bertram even harder.

As the PCs attack them from the rear, the Skaven will succeed in
pushing Bertram into Bela’s chambers, where they will see…

The Final Truth

Bela’s lab is a rectangular room about 6 yards by 10, with the
entrance in the southern end of the western wall. Bela is standing
over Julianne, who is being restrained on a stone slab in the northern
part of the room. Julianne is obviously in considerable pain, and
Bela appears to be mumbling some sort of incantation over her.
When the fight bursts into the room, he will look at the PCs with
fear in his eyes and yell, “They’ve come for her! Please, protect her! I’ll
pay whatever you want, just protect her!”

In actuality, Bela is hoping that the PCs and the Skaven will do so
much damage to each other that he and Bertram will be able to
take care of the rest.

36

For Love or Money

After two rounds of combat, Julianne manages to snap her Julianne Transformed
restraints. As she gets to her feet, the last vestiges of her humanity
literally slough away. Her skin falls from her body, revealing the This is the Chaos beast that was once Julianne. No vestige of the
scaled beast beneath. The distended belly that they PCs most likely girl remains.
thought was due to pregnancy is actually a gigantic third mouth
that howls in inhuman fury. There is a loud cracking noise as she Julianne (mutated form)
realigns her spine so she can stand at her new height of almost
seven feet. Main Profile
Anyone unfortunate enough to witness the transformation is
obliged to take a Will Power Test or gain 2 Insanity Points. WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
It is entirely possible that combating Bela, Bertram, Slerd, the 9%
other Skaven, and the beast that was Julianne all at once will be 38% 26% 56% 47% 31% 16% 21%
more than the adventurers can handle. To give them a fighting FP
chance, you will probably want to use Julianne as a leveller who Secondary Profile 0
can soften up some of the other foes. Otherwise, she will simply
attack whoever is nearest. A W SB TB M Mag IP
Once Julianne has risen, Bela will cast spells every round until
engaged in melee, at which point he will do his best to defend 1 16 5 4 5 0 0
himself with a hand weapon—all the while calling upon his
Chaos patron to aid him. With his dying breath he will curse the Skills: Intimidate +10%
adventurers, telling them that “The Changer of Ways sees you, he Talents: Ambidextrous, Fearless, Frightening, Natural Weapons,
knows you—and he shall have you.”
Night Vision
Special Rules: Chaos Mutation: Scales.
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 1, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 1
Weapons: Claws

— Aftermath —
Of course, once the fighting has ended the Watch will arrive
(if things are going badly for the PCs, have them arrive the Dustermann estate is supposed to be off-limits pending an
while the combat is still in progress). They will take one look at investigation, a mysterious fire is set the night after the parties put
the carnage and promptly detain the PCs. Once the Watch begins its owner to the sword.
rooting through Bela’s personal belongings, however, the PCs No one makes much of an effort to put it out.
will be released. They will be told that although the citizens of
Mittleresdorf are very thankful for what they’ve done, they would Experience Point Awards
much rather prefer it if the PCs would go about their business …
elsewhere. Other people in town will consider the PCs as fearless Each player should receive 150 experience points for completing
killers, and will speak in hushed tones when in their proximity. the adventure, plus 25 to 50 additional points for admirable
The bodies of the Skaven, Bela, Bertram, and the beast that once roleplay. You can also award the PCs an additional Fate Point if the
was Julianne will be placed on a pyre and burned. And although last encounter was particularly challenging for them.

37

The Haunting Horror

• The Haunting Horror •

In this adventure the PCs enter a strange, disturbing house, summoned it. The PCs have to fight and defeat this entity of
occupied by Undead and bewildering enchanted objects. They Chaos. The Haunting Horror is a challenging adventure because
gain information about the history of the house (and possibly it features a good amount of combat in unusual circumstances.
other adventuring concerns) from written sources and conversing The PCs are unable to seek outside aid, so they must make do
with a Ghost, the servant of the last owner of the place, the wizard with their own resources. It is thus recommended for characters
Ludovicus Hanike. Hanike dabbled in Chaos, and the Haunting approaching the end of their first careers or beginning their second
Horror of the title stalks the house, having killed the wizard who careers.

— Introduction —

This adventure begins with the discovery of a secret door GM Info
(see Placing the Adventure for ideas as to where this
door might be located). Although the door is locked when the There are some special points of importance that the GM needs to
adventurers discover it, it should prove quite easy to break it keep in mind while running this adventure.
down with a Very Easy (+30%) Strength Test, if for some reason
the PCs aren’t able to coax the lock open with an Easy (+20%) Placing the Adventure
Pick Locks Test. When opened, a passage is revealed, stretching
off into the gloom. It is 1 yard wide, and continues for quite It is fairly easy to set the adventure almost anywhere. The house can be
some distance (80 yards). However, as the players progress, the in a town or a small village. It may actually exist outside of any normal
passage rapidly becomes very misty, reducing the visibility, while settlement and be a place unto itself, dimly glimpsed through the mists
the air starts to turn dank and musty. There are faint sounds of and fogs that swirl in some isolated forest area... In the latter case, the
rats scuttling and some unknown creature scratching chitinous PCs will probably get in through the front door as opposed to the
claws on hard stone. The mist grows thicker, developing an basement (which the scenario presumes), but this makes little difference.
almost definable presence. When the PCs begin to get really
jumpy, the mist suddenly clears ahead of them, revealing that Into the Unknown
the passage terminates in a smooth stone shaft with an iron-rung
ladder set into it. At the top of the 12-yard shaft is a wooden The house where the action takes place is a strange, magical
trapdoor. When the PCs try to open it, they will find it is place. If the PCs try to report the goings-on, or the location, to
unlocked, opening into room 1 of the house above.

38

The Haunting Horror

the authorities, the house simply cannot be on a second look through a window, see it slipping back in time
found. The trap-door which led to it is outside, as it were! More importantly, the PCs can see and hear
no longer there, a trip down the street
the windows looked out onto shows what is going on outside, but they cannot be seen or heard
that the house is not there, no one by the inhabitants of the town.
in the area has ever seen Add improvised details to the descriptions
the place, and so on. of rooms below—sudden chitterings or
If the PCs return scratchings in the distance, chill gusts
to it, managing of wind, a faint moan as much
(somehow) to sensed as heard, and so on.
get out of it and Don’t overdo it, but a little
then back again, unexpected extra detail can
they will be able to keep the PCs frightened
find it—but not if and tense during the
there is anyone else adventure, which is
with them. That’s the general idea.
just the way the
place works. If Avoiding
PCs (or players!) Stasis
get paranoid about this, that’s fine. This place is haunted in a
very strange way and there isn’t any conventional logic about Do not allow the PCs to get into an “open this door, check this
it. Because of their long association with Johann the Ghost, the room, rest, open another door...” routine. In the text you will
PCs have built up an affinity with life beyond the grave. This has find numerous illusions and strange effects. Use these as a basis
somehow brought them into the world of magical, supernatural, for other, harmless, events that will worry the PCs—scuttling
and Aethyric energy inhabited by the Haunting Horror. Now they furniture, something half-seen around a corner, and so on. If the
have to meet and overcome it, or never be able to return to their PCs take a ridiculously long time over everything you may have a
own time and homes. suitable “wandering monster” appear to menace them. Skeletons
and Zombies are very much in keeping with the place!
Lighting and Locks
Leaving the House
Unless the text specifies otherwise, rooms are lit with small wall-
mounted lamps. These look like oil lamps but they do not, in fact, You can play this two ways. The simple way is to determine that
consume any oil. They burn oil normally outside the house, should the PCs cannot leave at all until they have destroyed the Haunting
the PCs take any. Doors in the house are unlocked unless the text Horror itself. Windows and doors cannot be opened or broken
says otherwise. down, and the passage where they got in only leads them back to
the house again.
Atmosphere The second possibility is to let the PCs leave the house once. It is
best to allow them to leave through the front door, so they step
Conveying the correct atmosphere in this adventure is crucial. out into the street. It is foggy and misty outside, and as the mist
The location is a house out of time, a real anachronism. Its clears the house behind is gone. They can find it again by going
decor is antique, cobwebbed and dusty, sinister and Gothic in back to the secret door, but the second time around they will be
ornamentation. When the PCs look out of the windows, they stuck within the house until they have destroyed the Haunting
see mists interspersed with glimpses of the village or town they Horror. This option allows a strategic retreat and a rush for extra
were recently visiting—but it seems different, smaller and older. equipment and supplies. The PCs will emerge into a historic
The people wear old-fashioned clothing, the vehicles are more version of the town or village they had left, and after a minute or
primitive, the colours faded and weak. The most effective ploy of two will they reappear into the “modern-day.”
all is to have the PCs glimpse the town as they know it at first but,

— The Locations —
of two slain warriors atop a blackened hilltop. The Beastman has
1. Spare Room a goat’s head and the legs of an ox, and wields a huge two-handed
sword.
This is where the PCs emerge. This room is mostly full of lumber, When the PCs enter this room, there is a horrid gurgling sound
rolled-up carpets, and junk. It is dusty, dirty, and unlit. from the direction of the painting. Blood gouts from the bodies
in the picture and hits the two nearest PCs with jets of rich, warm
2. Sitting Room blood (each PC must make an Agility Test or get hit in the face,
suffering a –20% penalty to Agility for the next 2 rounds due
Armchairs with dust covers, cloth-covered tables, and dusty rugs to partial blinding). The Chaos Beastman then steps out of the
fill this room. In the middle of the east wall is a large painting picture, leaving the two bodies behind him in the scene; their
with a heavy gilt frame. The painting shows a distressing scene of a hacked bodies seem to writhe, and fresh blood pulses from them
foully mutated Chaos Beastman standing over the bloodied bodies down to the floor.

39

The Haunting Horror
40

The Haunting Horror

The Thing from the Painting The candle will add further to the problems of the PCs. Roll a d10
each round. On a roll of 1-5, the candle will flare very brightly and
Career: Brute generate an illusory Skeleton attacking one of the PCs. The PC
Race: Beastman affected must make an Intelligence Test or believe this to be real,
and attack the illusion.
Main Profile In all cases, select the PC victims of spell-like effects randomly
from the group.
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
Skeleton
40% 25% 40% 55% 35% 25% 25% 25%

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP Main Profile

2 14 4 5 5 0 0 0 WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
–
Skills: Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Intimidate, 25% 20% 30% 30% 25% – –
Outdoor Survival, Perception, Shadowing, Silent Move, FP
Speak Language (Dark Tongue) Secondary Profile 0

Talents: Keen Senses, Menacing, Rover, Specialist Weapon Group A W SB TB M Mag IP
(Two-handed)
1 10 3 3 4 0 0
Special Rules: Chaos Mutations: Animalistic Legs and Horns.
Silent as the Beasts of the Woods: The Beastman gains +20% Skills: None
Talents: Frightening, Undead
to Silent Move Tests and +10% to Concealment Tests. Special Rules: Mindless: The Skeleton has no Intelligence, Will
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack)
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0 Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based
Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-handed Sword) and Horns (SB–1 on these Characteristics.
Shambling: The Skeleton cannot take the run action.
damage) Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin and Leather Skullcap)
Armour Points: Head 1, Arms 0, Body 1, Legs 0
When the PCs kill the Beastman, it raises its head and begins Weapons: Hand Weapon (Rusty Sword)
issuing a thin, wispy cloud of grey smoke from its throat,
accompanied by a slow, mournful howl. As it slowly dissolves into If the PCs get the chance to search the room, stuffed underneath
the air, the temperature drops sharply and the room becomes very the pillow of the bed is a plain gold signet ring with an aquamarine
cold. setting worth 15 gc.

3. Guest Room 5. Kitchen

Comfortably decorated, but very dirty and dusty, this room has The smell of roasting meat comes from this room, and an Easy
nothing to interest the PCs apart from a silver cake stand on a (+20%) Perception Test at the door will reveal the sound of
mahogany table. The cake stand is worth 15 gc and the table 50 a regular squeak-screech noise from within, like that of metal
gc, but they are both rather bulky (encumbrance of 40 and 100, grinding on metal.
respectively).
Inside the room are worktables and utensils of many kinds. The
4. Guest Bedroom room is dominated by a huge wood-burning stove and a large fire
grate beside it, where a metal spit is being turned by one of the two
The door to this unlit room is locked (Pick Locks Test or a Zombies present. There is a large, amorphous, writhing mass of meat
Strength Test to open). The room itself has a bare wooden floor, on the spit. Protruding from the surface of the meat, looking like
table and chairs, wardrobe, commode, and bed. Beside the bed facial features underneath stretched vinyl, are silently screaming faces.
is a small bedside table with a brass candlestick, which holds a Hands and fingers within the column of meat seem to be scrabbling
yellowed tallow candle. at its surface, desperately trying to escape. PCs seeing this must make
When the PCs enter, the candle suddenly splutters into flame. A a Will Power Test or gain 1 Insanity Point. There is nothing they can
bony figure, which could not be seen before, sits bolt upright in do to help whatever is within the meat, and will have to deal with the
the bed. It stares at the PCs, its jawbone dropping open and a dim Zombies first, anyway.
blue glow issuing from the eye sockets. The PCs have to make a
Fear Test at the sight of this. Zombies (2)
The creature in the bed is a Skeleton, but one which channels
certain magical powers resident in the house. Each round of Main Profile
combat it will create the illusion of skeletal hands wrapped around
the throat of one of the PCs; an Intelligence Test is needed to WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
realize this as an illusion. If the test is failed, the illusory hands will –
slowly strangle the life out of the PC, draining 1 Wound per round 25% 0% 35% 35% 10% – –
(regardless of Toughness Bonus or Armour). This effect persists FP
until the Skeleton is destroyed. The Skeleton will fight normally in Secondary Profile 0
addition to generating the illusory hands.
A W SB TB M Mag IP

1 12 3 3 4 0 0

Skills: None

41

The Haunting Horror

Talents: Frightening, Undead Nothing will happen immediately when the PCs enter the dining
Special Rules: Mindless: Zombies are animated corpses with no room. Lure them in by referring to the crystal, china, and silver
in the place. When most of the PCs are in the room they will
mind or spirit of their own. They have no Intelligence, Will be subjected to attacks by the two large carving knives on the
Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based serving platters, and the candlesticks. As these animated objects
on these Characteristics. fly through the air to attack, the dining room door slams shut (so
Shambling: Zombies are relentless but slow. They cannot any PCs outside cannot help those inside).
take the run action.
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack) Animated Utensils: Large Carving Knives (2),
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 0 Large Candlesticks (2)
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Meat Cleaver)
The Zombies attack with their meat cleavers and when they move Main Profile T Ag Int WP Fel
away from the spit it keeps on turning of its own accord... WS BS S 46% — — — —
There is nothing valuable, or of any real interest, in the kitchen. 33% — 34%
The fires in the grate and the stove are magical, and do not Secondary Profile TB M Mag IP FP
consume any wood. If anything is lit from these fires, it will go out A W SB 4 —(5) 0 0 0
as soon as it is removed from the kitchen. 183

6, 7. Stores Skills: None
Talents: Hoverer
These storage chambers contain sacks, tins, boxes, jars, and bottles Special Rules: Mindless: These animated objects have no
of foodstuffs, mostly turned to dust by age. Some of the jam jars
bear labels: “Wm. Kappelmuller & Son, Delberz, 2315”—over Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take
200 years in the past. or fail Tests based on these Characteristics.
Sudden Death Crits: These objects have no bodies in the
8. Dining Room traditional sense. When they suffer a Critical Hit, use the
Sudden Death Critical Chart.
This large chamber contains a teak dining table with 10 chairs Armour: None
around it, and a pair of side tables with silver serving dishes, Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
a silver soup tureen, etc. (silver plate only, alas). There are Weapons: Both types of animated utensils inflict Damage equal to
silver, crystal, and china place settings on the table, and brass their SB
candlesticks, which are cobwebbed and dusty.
A successful Evaluate Test determines that two of the crystal
water jugs are the only valuable items in the dining room. These
two fragile objects are worth 15 gc each. Otherwise, they will
end up with largely inferior china and eating utensils that are
practically worthless.

9. Smoking Room

This comfortably lived-in room has thick (but tatty) carpets,
dilapidated leather armchairs, a walnut drinks cabinet, and a
writing desk. Along one wall there is a shelf laden with jars of
tobacco (labelled as “Halflynge Weede,” “Arabie Blacke,” and so
on), plus a tray of pipes. There is no hint of peril or danger as the
PCs enter.
There are some valuable items here which the PCs can take
if they look around: a silver cigarette case worth 10 gc, a
sandalwood tobacco box with inlaid mother-of-pearl worth 8 gc,
and, in the drinks cabinet, 6 silver goblets each worth 8 gc. The
drinks cabinet, however, also holds the one bizarre danger in this
room.
When the door to either half of the cabinet is opened, a wooden
manikin slides out on a wooden tray. This is an automaton,
made in the form of a young Araby boy with a hookah pipe.
It is attached to an opaque bell jar that swirls with smoke and
sparks of blue flame. The boy-automaton puffs a smoke ring,
which flares brightly and transforms into a Minor Fire Spirit,
which then attacks the PCs. The Fire Spirit looks akin to a man
of Araby, but his body is made of smoke and fire and he floats
through the air as if weightless.

42

The Haunting Horror

Minor Fire Spirit The PCs will obviously expect the suit of armour to animate and
attack them—players are paranoid about such things—so, of
Main Profile course, it is actually totally harmless. However, one of the books
here, Doktor Hausknecht’s Manual of Tortures of Araby has become
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel infested with a malicious Chaotic spirit. When the PCs enter it
will rise into the air, open itself, and in a sonorous voice will begin
25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% to intone the following text:

Secondary Profile

A W SB TB M Mag IP FP “SLAM! The doors sealed the wretches in to meet their
fate (1). The brands were hot and seared the flesh (2), the
2 24 2 2 —(4) 0 0 0 wrist-breakers gripped their bones (3), the leg-beaters made
them scream in agony (4). On the rack the screams grew
Skills: None louder as the head of the thighbone popped from its socket
Talents: Fearless, Hoverer and tendons tore and ripped apart. Blood frothed on the
Special Rules: Flaming Strike: The melee attacks of a Minor Fire lips of the convulsing victims...”

Spirit are Damage 4. Various effects happen as this text is recited: (1) and (2) on the first
Immune to Fire: A Minor Fire Spirit is immune to all fire- round, (3) and (4) on the second round. These effects are:
1. The door slams, locking the PCs in. A Very Hard (–30%)
based attacks and spells.
Sudden Death Crits: The body of a Minor Fire Spirit is smoke Pick Locks Test or a Hard (–20%) Strength Test will be
required to open it.
and flame bound together by magical force. When he suffers 2. Two hot metal branding irons materialize within the room
a Critical Hit, use the Sudden Death Critical Chart. and attack two (randomly selected) PCs. The effective stats
Armour: None for these branding irons are:
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: See Special Rules. Animated Branding Irons (2)

The automaton only produces one such Spirit, although it
continues to blow smoke rings, the smoke in the belljar slowly
thinning out.

When the PCs have destroyed the Minor Fire Spirit, the smoke Main Profile T Ag Int WP Fel
will be almost all gone, and inside the belljar can be seen the WS BS S 41% 33% — — —
severed, half-mummified head of a young woman. Her lips move 43% — 37%
several times before the PC nearest to the automaton hears her Secondary Profile TB M Mag IP FP
whisper, “the horror, the haunting horror, the silent screamer.” The A W SB 4 —(5) 0 0 0
head then fades away into nothingness and the automaton slides 173
back into the cabinet. If the PCs open the cabinet again, they will
have to go through the same routine, including fighting another
Minor Fire Spirit, all over again.

The writing desk has almost nothing of interest on it, only some Skills: None
old worthless sheets of vellum and a primitive quill pen. The ink in Talents: Hoverer
the inkwell has dried long ago. The rest of the desk appears to have Special Rules: Mindless: These animate objects have no
been cleared away, and two of the three drawers on the right hand
side of it are empty, save for dust. In the middle drawer is a key, Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take
which fits the doors at location 12. This key is crafted from bone; or fail Tests based on these Characteristics.
it is a Skeleton Key. Sudden Death Crits: These objects have no bodies in the
traditional sense. When they suffer a Critical Hit, use the
10. Cloakroom Sudden Death Critical Chart.
Armour: None
This unlit room contains five cloaks (of no value, being aged and Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
moth-eaten) hung on pegs, spare boots (also in poor condition), a Weapons: The animated branding irons inflict Damage equal to
mop and bucket, and similar items. One of the robes has a pouch their SB+1.
in an inside pocket which contains 14 gc dated 2329 and which
bear the face of Magnus the Pious. 3. Randomly select two PCs from the group. Each must make
an Intelligence Test or else believe that their hands are
11. Small Reading Room manacled by horrific handcuffs, pierced by metal screws
that are slowly tightening into their wrists! If this effect is
This has a comfy armchair, a reading table with two chairs, and believed, the PCs concerned take 1 Wound (regardless of
a small bookcase. There are several copies of the Lawyers’ and Toughness Bonus and Armour) and suffer a –5 penalty to
Scribes’ Newsletter (for Jahrdrung through Sommerzeit 2308) WS and BS, cumulative, each round. Lost WS/BS will be
lying around, and several score leather-bound books. There is regained afterwards at a rate of 5 points per hour.
a book open on the reading table, and, rather unusually, an
ornamental, enamelled suit of plate mail armour mounted on a 4. Randomly select two PCs from the group. Each must make
stand in the northeast corner. an Intelligence Test or else believe that strong metal bonds
are shackling them, and that iron rods are beating their legs.
If this effect is believed, these PCs have their Movement

43

The Haunting Horror

Characteristic reduced to 2 and lose 1 Wound per round If the PCs can overcome the creature, the torture manual will drop
(regardless of Toughness Bonus or Armour). Movement to the ground, lifeless; the ongoing (but not accumulated) spell
returns to normal as soon as the illusory effect ends. effects will stop at the same time.
During this time there is nothing the PCs can do. On the third All books here are at least 170 years old, and most are of minor
round the voice grows shriller, and takes on an edge of insanity, interest (none are old enough to be valuable). However, some are
as finally the spirit of Chaos that has become tied to the book of note.
materializes within the room. This is a Lesser Aethyric Entity, not The first volume is an account of the exposure of a coven of the
powerful, but hateful and vile, and PCs must make a Fear Test Writhers in the Dark cult in the city of Ubersreik, in which the
upon seeing it. The entity materializes as a wizened Dwarf with leader was one Hans-Friedrich Jinkerst, in the year 2228.
tentacles for arms, which end in pincers. The Dwarf-entity has a A second volume gives an account of the spreading of the Skaven-
crest along its chest which parts at the sternum to form a V-shape worshipping Poison Claw cult from Skavenblight through the
leading up to its shoulders. This crest is of green, scaly skin that northern Tilean City States, across the Black Mountains and into
drips purulent filth onto the ground. It has legs and feet like those the Empire, the work of the Tavelli family being instrumental in
of a frog. this.
A third volume is a history of a noble Middenheim family, the
Lesser Aethyric Entity Gespensts. It lists the long and distinguished career of many males
of the family as Bounty Hunters, Witch Hunters, and Knights of
Main Profile the Inner Circle. The names Johann (2165-2203), Jurgen (2188-
2239), Joachim (2210-2182), Johannes (2232-2374), and Johann
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel (again, 2255-2302) are listed, and the third Johann of the list,
born 2284, is also noted as having a fine career to date.
39% — 34% 47% 36% 35% 37% 10% The PCs may take the view that something very strange is going
on here; that’s the general idea you want them to get.
Secondary Profile
12. The Doors and
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP the Great Stairs

2 13 3 4 4 0 0 0 The doors are made of iron-shod black wood with leering gargoyle
faces carved on the panels. They can only be opened with the
Skills: Dodge Blow, Perception, Speak Language (Dark Tongue)
Talents: Fearless, Frightening, Natural Weapons
Special Rules: Chaos Mutations: Animalistic Legs and Tentacle-like

Arms.
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Pincers (Natural Weapons)

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The Haunting Horror

Skeleton Key from area 9. Behind the doors lies a flight of wide in secrecy and conducted many experiments. This, of course, is
wooden stairs. A low stream of mist from the landing above ambiguous—the PCs will not know whether Ludovicus was a
cascades down the steps, fading into nothing at the bottom. Chaos cultist or allied with those who hunted them.
Climbing up through the swirling vapours is hard work, like Bernhardt knows that, over the years, presences have accumulated
walking through water, and the PCs’ footsteps will make muffled in the house. He is surprisingly vague on the details, but then
echoes. On the landing, facing the top of the stairs, stands a giant he himself has begun to fade, growing weaker, and increasingly
hourglass (the glass cannot be broken). Fine golden sand trickles finds himself straying absentmindedly outside into a grey realm of
slowly down from the upper half. Above it hangs a clock. It shows emptiness where his senses are numbed. In the house, he feels an
11 o’clock as the PCs approach it, and each tick is followed by a aching sadness and discomfort. He senses that his master is still here
low sepulchral moan. in the attic, but cannot reach him. Bernhardt feels that the PCs... At
this point he fades away, pointing towards the attic (to room 22).
13. Ritual Chamber This information will give the PCs something to think about. The
silver ornaments, incidentally, have an Encumbrance value of 40
This room is decorated in violently opposing colours: red and and are worth 20 gc.
brown on one side, pastel blue and yellow on a second, black and
silver on a third. Interlocking pentagrams and pentacles decorate 15. Guest Bedroom
the floor. The general appearance is of a jumble of confused ritual
paraphernalia, which is exactly what this is. This small bedroom used to be Bernhardt’s room, and is extremely
Despite the sinister appearance, there is no danger in entering neat and tidy, although dusty. There is nothing valuable, or of
here, and neither the room nor its contents are magical in any way. any interest here. The door is locked, but can be opened with a
This should, however, serve to unnerve the players, and offer them successful Pick Locks or Strength Test.
some clues as to what sort of thing they are up against.
16. Privy
14. The Ghost of
Bernhardt Siebert This room contains two commodes and a wooden bucket with a lid.

This room looks like a large sitting room cum bedroom, with some 17. Weapons/
tables, desk, chairs, and a large four-poster bed. A smoking jacket Trophies Room
and a robe are hung up together with a long multi-coloured scarf
on a hat stand, and above them a floppy hat with pheasant feathers This room, and the one beyond the open door, contains many
stuck in its headband at a jaunty angle. There is a collection of weapons and trophies from the hunting days of Ludovicus Hanike
silver ornaments on a mantelpiece, which may attract the attention (before he became a Wizard) and his friends. Mounted spears with
of greedy PCs. pennants, a pair of lances, swords, and ornamental shields share
When they enter, however, a Ghost materializes sitting at the base wall and table space with stuffed birds, bears’ heads, stags’ heads,
of the four-poster bed, and addresses the PCs sadly. Bernhardt is stuffed foxes, a huge grey wolf ’s head, and other similar exhibits.
not hostile. On seeing him, however, the PCs have to make a Fear The dangerous member of this assemblage is the stuffed bear
Test, despite the fact that he has an innocuous enough appearance. lurking in the southwest corner, which will attack anyone coming
Bernhardt says in tones of sombre foreboding, “You’re here, then.” within a yard of it.
He continues, “More visitors. You look so young. Another group of
lost souls, I suppose,” and he turns his face sadly away, not looking Stuffed Bear
at the PCs. They can now ask him questions about his enigmatic
remarks, and indeed about the house. The information Bernhardt Main Profile
knows and what he will probably say are given below. Feed this
information to PCs depending on the questions they ask. WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
Bernhardt used to be the manservant of the Wizard Ludovicus —
Hanike, who used to own this town house. So far as Bernhardt 33% 0% 47% 43% 18% — —
knows, some terrible misfortune befell the wizard during a magical FP
ceremony. He has no idea exactly what happened since he simply Secondary Profile 0
“woke up one day to find I was dead,” as he puts it. Precisely because
Bernhardt does not know how he died and is desperately curious A W SB TB M Mag IP
on this score, he is restless in death and stays in the house as a
Ghost. However, he is unable to get to the attic (room 22 and up); 2 17 4 4 3 0 0
in life, his master never allowed him to go up there, and even in
undeath he cannot make himself try to pass the definite magical Skills: None
barrier he feels there. Talents: Natural Weapons
Bernhardt can tell the PCs that his master had a major interest in Special Rules: Mindless: The Stuffed Bear has no Intelligence, Will
cults of Chaos and accumulated much information on them and
the people who hunted them. Ludovicus received many visitors Power, or Fellowship, and can never take or fail Tests based
on these Characteristics.
Sudden Death Crits: The Stuffed Bear has no vitals. When it
suffers a Critical Hit, use the Sudden Death Critical Chart.
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0
Weapons: Claws

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The Haunting Horror

model grips a dagger in its stone hand, which can be easily
extracted from the statue’s grip. This dagger is of Best Quality.

18. Linen Cupboard

The shelves here hold moth-eaten towels, sheets, pillowcases, and
the like. All are dusty, spoiled, and quite useless.

19. Household Store

This small store holds flasks of fuel oil, small lamps, boxes of tallow
candles, dusters, a mop and bucket, and other similar household
items. You can allow PCs to take any such item from here, if they
want to.
On a successful Perception Test, the PCs notice three dusty green
vials hidden amongst the household goods. Two of the bottles have
broken seals and are dried out inside, but the third’s seal is intact.
This is a healing draught.

The PCs are in for a tough time here. After 1 round of combat with 20. Maids’ Chambers
the bear, a suit of plate mail armour comes trundling in from the
adjoining room lying beyond the half-open door. Note that this Hanna and Theodora, the household maids, are long dead but their
animated armour does not attack until the bear begins to fight. souls and bodies still remain. Although they are Zombies, their
bodies have not degenerated as yet. Hanna sits in an armchair in
Animated Armour their sitting room and Theodora sits in a rocking chair, soundlessly
rocking over and over. Both hold their faces in their hands, and
Main Profile wear maid’s uniforms. They do not speak, or otherwise acknowledge
the entrance of the PCs. Only if touched will they react, throwing
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel themselves at the PC who touches them in a paroxysm of hatred and
— fury. Only at this stage will their Fear effect take effect. Their stats
41% 0% 33% 34% 36% — — are the same as the Zombies in Location 5 (see page 41).
FP If the PCs overcome the Zombies and search this area, most of the
Secondary Profile 0 items are typical of what one would expect—a sewing basket, lots
of skeins of wool (aged and faded), a book of pressed flowers, and
A W SB TB M Mag IP suchlike. However, Hanna was a kleptomaniac, and tucked at the
back of one drawer in a chest of drawers is a pigskin pouch with
1 16 3 3 4 0 0 leather drawstrings, which contains 8 gc (dated 2312), two chrysoberyl
earrings worth 15 gc total, and a gold signet ring worth 20 gc.
Skills: Dodge Blow
Talents: Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure 21. Guards
Special Rules: Mindless: The Animated Armour has no
This is a large, ceremonial chamber, and the door to it is locked
Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship, and can never take (Hard (–20%) Pick Locks Test or Challenging (–10%) Strength
or fail Tests based on these Characteristics. Test to open). If it has to be broken open, then obviously the
Sudden Death Crits: The Animated Armour has no vitals. guards within will have full warning that the PCs are about to
When it suffers a Critical Hit, use the Sudden Death enter and cannot possibly be surprised.
Critical Chart. When the PCs get to see it, the room is bare. The walls are
Armour: Heavy Armour (Full Plate Armour) polished (but dusty and dirty) wood, and the furniture has all
Armour Points: Head 5, Arms 5, Body 5, Legs 5 been cleared out. Nothing remains, save for a pentacle that has
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Sword) and Shield been inscribed on the floor, half in this room and half in room 22.
Details of this are given there.
The armour will attempt to get around the PCs and block the The Haunting Horror has stationed two Mutants here to protect
doorway—preventing them escaping. The bear, meanwhile, will attack the entrance to the stairway that leads up to the attic, the final
whoever is nearest, having no objective other than to kill everyone. resting place of Ludovicus Hanike.

Mutants (2)

Main Profile

If the PCs can manage to deal with these two, in the adjoining WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel
room they will find a splendid stone statue of a Halfling, with
a plaque that reads, “Georgi Gutstuffer, Faithful Servant.” The 39% 31% 40% 31% 35% 25% 33% 21%

46

The Haunting Horror

Secondary Profile Lip Reading will figure out that the Ghost is issuing a warning
A W SB TB M Mag IP FP on a successful skill test. Only fragments of speech and individual
1 11 4 3 4 0 0 0 words can be picked up—“stealer,” “horror,” “consuming,”
“darkness,” and the like). Slowly, the voice becomes discernible,
Skills: Concealment, Perception, Speak Language (Dark Tongue) but at the same time other things happen. The sound of a swirling
Talents: Flee! wind grows in the room, and it begins to knock objects about.
Special Rules: Chaos Mutations: Mutant #1 has Scales and Three Anything loose will be affected, whereas held or secured items,
such as packs or weapons, will not. The room grows very cold, and
Eyes. Mutant #2 has a Snout, Thick Fur, and Tentacle-like the figure of the Ghost appears progressively outlined in tiny flecks
Arms. and crystals of ice.
Armour: Scales (#1) and Thick Fur (#2) The Ghost’s voice finally becomes audible, wheezing painfully as
Armour Points: Head 1, Arms 1, Body 1, Legs 1 its chest heaves with the effort of speaking.
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Spiked Club) It does not respond to any of the PCs actions or questions. Instead
it says, “…last ones to come. I brought it here, and now you must
22. The Stair Chamber destroy it or perish. You cannot escape.” This is absolutely true; the
PCs are trapped in the house until they meet the final enemy; the
The pentacle, half in this room and half in room 21, is extremely stairs behind the PCs have disappeared into the mist and any one
ornate and inlaid with carved runes and silver. It is almost who breaks the door down and attempts to run down them will
impossible to open the door and enter this room without entering reappear back in this room.
the circle. PCs will certainly contort themselves horribly as they try The Ghost continues, and now, as it speaks, its appearance
to work out very complex methods for getting across the pentacle; changes. It starts to age, its hairline slowly receding and its skin
yet all this is all quite unnecessary, since the pentacle is quite becoming wrinkled and old. Its posture grows stooped and its
harmless and can be walked on with no effect. hands gnarled. As it reaches the end of its utterances, its hands
The room is quite bare, the only feature being the wooden spiral part in a gesture of beseechment and a thin trail of grave dust seeps
staircase leading up. Looking up the staircase shows that it ascends from them to the ground. “I meddled out of time, in the raw stuff of
into inky darkness and, irrespective of the nature of the light Chaos. It stalked me, it has held me here until now, it comes to destroy.
source used, ascending PCs will never be able to see more than a The Haunting Horror has me in its grip.” Now the ghostly figure’s
few paces ahead of them on the stairs. “skin” begins to peel away, and writhing worms protrude from
The stairs go up into an area that, like the rest of the house, exists dust-dry gaps in the flesh of the figure. “I am in its clutches, it will
outside space and time, but not actually linked with it in the take your souls too; it grasps souls and squeezes them to emptiness,”
normal sense. It takes 10 minutes of climbing to reach the landing and then the figure screams. The scream is silent, hanging in the
at the top, during which time it grows cold enough for the PCs’ air, a cone of misery frozen in space, radiating numbness and
breath to frost in the air. There is an abnormal silence as they horror. An ice-taloned black claw appears and wraps about the
ascend, and then, as the PCs reach the landing and the door before Ghost, crushing it with the sound of paper crinkling, destroying
them, a brief snatch of a horrid, throaty, gloating chuckle. If any of Ludovicus’ soul.
the PCs attempts to open the door, it will swing away from them After this appalling exhibition, the doors to the room beyond fly
of its own accord with a loud crash, remaining open until all of the open and the PCs are sucked through by a howling gust of wind.
PCs have entered—when it will silently close behind them... Each PC must make an Agility Test or else fall over and land in
As the door closes any light sources the PCs are carrying are the room on the floor.
extinguished, plunging them into darkness. This lasts but for a
brief moment, however, as the room is suddenly lit by the torches 24. The Haunting Horror
along the walls bursting into life.
This chamber appears as a long corridor-like room, with rows of
23. Preparation Room paintings on the long walls. The PCs will not have very much
time to look at them immediately, however, so their description is
This room has a row of three throne-like chairs, set underneath deferred here.
a sloping ceiling on the east side of the room. On each chair is The “occupant” of this room is a Ghost, but one which can fully
placed a plain grey robe, and between them lie two small tables materialize from the Aether. A Fear Test must be made when it
each bearing a plain gold bowl (total value of both bowls is 40 is seen. However, it is not Human, and has no resemblance to
gc), a sealed vial of rosewater, and a white linen hand towel. These Human form. Its “body” is a large green-grey sac covered with
items are of ritual significance only, and have no special values or rope-like blue veins, and has a vicious keratinized beak protruding
properties otherwise. The PCs can be allowed to play with these from the centre, drooling acid. Below the sac is a fringe of
items, dress up in the robes, steal the gold bowls, etc., before the crimson intestine-like structures that drip slime on the ground
owner of the house arrives. Stage Ludovicus’ appearance when they as the monster moves. On top of the sac is a pair of eyestalks,
are getting unsure of what to do, and before they head for the door each bearing a single huge unblinking eye that protrudes from
on the far side of the room. a toothless mouth surrounded by thick black fur. Inside the
Ludovicus Hanike materializes as a Ghost and the PCs must intestines, faces can be seen pushed against the outer membranes,
immediately make a Fear Test. He appears as a man in his early their mouths frozen in silent screams. The PCs may even recognize
30s, with long black hair and dark eyes, dressed in light coloured some of the faces of the dead writhing within the creature’s innards
robes and with his hands held folded before him. The ghostly as foes they have slain.
figure’s lips move, but no sound emerges from them (a PC with

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The Haunting Horror

The Haunting Horror has two long tentacles with which it lashes back off will begin taking 1 Wound a round (ignoring Toughness
at the PCs. Each tentacle is 8 yards long, and ends in skeletal Bonus and Armour), a figure that increases exponentially.
“hands” tipped with razor-sharp talons. Once the area around the Horror catches fire, the rest of the
However, the physical threat this horror represents is the least of room rapidly follows suit. The PCs will eventually realize that
its dangers. It radiates an elemental malice and hatred, and PCs they have two choices: leave and live, or stay and burn.
will know intuitively that it does not just kill people, it will pluck As they pass the paintings, allow each player with the skill to make
their souls like fruit and suck them dry! a Very Easy (+30%) Perception Test. Any who succeed notice
that the various scenes depicted in the paintings are in motion, as
The Haunting Horror if they were viewing them through a window. The players should
recognize that one of the paintings shows the street of the town
Main Profile or village where they were before entering the house (they may
also recognize other scenes, which will be described in more detail
WS BS S T Ag Int WP Fel in the Continuing the Adventure section). If you really want
— the players to go through a portal, you can use some of the other
45% — 44% 44% 37% 55% 49% paintings to begin generating Zombies, Skeletons, or other undead
FP to cut off their escape route.
Secondary Profile 0 Should the PCs jump through the painting depicting the street
outside, they’ll appear there without any ill effects (save for the
A W SB TB M Mag IP incredulous stares of any passers-by you decide witnessed the
materialisation). The other choice for the players is to run back
3 24 4 4 5 0 0 out through the house, with the fire following fast behind them.
Regardless of how they make their exit after defeating the
Skills: Perception +20%, Speak Language (Dark Tongue, Horror, they will not be able to get back in. Of course, no one is
Reikspiel) inclined to believe their story and no trace of the house, nor of
Ludovicus Hanike, can be found...
Talents: Fearless, Frightening, Lighting Parry, Natural Weapons
Special Rules: Acid Attack: The Horror’s three attacks are its Experience Point Awards

tentacles and its acid-dripping beak. If a PC is hit by the The following xp awards are recommended:
beak, an Agility Test must be made or else +2 is added to • For overcoming the enemies up to (but not including) the
the damage caused due to the effect of the acid.
Combustible Blood: The Horror’s blood is infused with fire, Haunting Horror: 100 xp each.
and causes any surface it lands upon to burst into flame. • For role-playing the encounter with Bernhardt: 20 xp each.
Anytime the Horror takes a wound, the character who • For trying to avoid waste-of-time combats (Zombies in
struck the blow must make an Agility Test to avoid the
resulting spray of ichor. Failure to do so will result in an the kitchen, etc.): 25 xp each.
additional d10 Wounds (ignoring Toughness Bonus and • For overcoming the Haunting Horror: 100 xp and 1 Fate
Armour) every round until the fire is extinguished. Other
than the means of its appearance, the fire is not magical Point each.
and can be put out like any other flame. • You should also give a bonus 50 xp to each PC if they all
Armour: None
Armour Points: Head 0, Arms 0, Body 0, Legs 0 manage to get out alive.
Weapons: See Acid Attack

When the Horror is killed (or suffers a seriously disabling critical
hit which will amount to the same thing), it thrashes about,
spraying acid, blood, and slime all over the place. As the creature
writhes in its death throes, its inflammable bodily fluids raise
such a conflagration that any character without the smarts to

— Continuing the Adventure —

The pictures in room 24 present a perfect link to your next and lineages therein could provide them with the chance to go Chaos
adventure—simply make only one painting act as a portal. tracking. Here is a great start for aspirant Witch Hunters. Alternatively,
If you’d like to give the PCs a bit more leeway, you can describe you can decide that these books belong to a different reality. The cults
any number of scenes both familiar and strange. For example, the have died out, or the books fall to dust outside the house.
players could see the village where they were raised, a Chaos Gate Of course, The Haunting Horror leaves enigmatic elements
spewing forth foul mutants, mountains, a forest, deserts, even the unresolved. What was the Horror itself? What was its history as
hearth of an inviting inn. Particularly sinister Gamemasters might a servitor of Chaos? What research did Ludovicus conduct and
decide to have the picture depict the town as described in room 24 might the PCs come across other evidence of them? Answers to
and then drop the players off wherever they choose. these matters have been deliberately left out of the adventure,
The PCs also have a few seeds for future adventures that they may because this leaves you free to decide if you want these matters
have picked up during the course of the adventure. They have some resolved. If you do, these details can be added to suit the scale, and
books from room 11 which detail old Chaos cults, and the names number, of adventures you wish to run next.

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